Festival Du Immortel
by Nikki-Kitten1213
Summary: it's about a 11 yr old girl living with her adopted family who wishes to find her real family. She doesn't know that her special powers like her hair & eyes as well as many other things are from her birth parents. she becomes a half vampire dealing W/prob
1. Chapter 1

My name is Nikki Rose Avalon. I'm a eleven year old girl, I have hair and eyes that change with my mood which for some reason freaks people out so I tell them it's a mood changing dye, and I have blue-green contacts, that I wear when I'm outside of the house unless I'm with my family or my friends who knows that I've had that ability ever since I was a baby. Oh, I also have this talent where I can read minds, so I can tell if someone is lying to me or not, so that's pretty cool. I go to Lindale Middle School. I live with my mom Serena, my father Darrien, my sister Rini, and our older brother Sam. I'm a Punk, meaning I dress in Goth and Preppy clothes and I listen to random music mainly rock music. I play the guitar, keyboard, violin, drums, bass guitar, and the flute. The sports I play are soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and some basketball. I was in gymnastics and I'm a black belt in karate. I was a normal girl who had a crush on a 8th grader named Daryl, who happened to be friends with my brother, and I also had good friends like my best friend Roza or Kimmy-cub from her middle name, who had a secret that I only know, but we'll get into later, Carrie or carebear, and her sister.

Everyday after school we would get together and play our instruments together. I sang and played my guitar, my bass guitar, flute, and violin, Roza played drums, Lizz was lead guitar, and Carrie played rhythm guitar. We formed a band called demonics since we like monsters like vampires and demons because it's from our favorite anime show inuyasha. And we had two random boys doing bass/vocals and a keyboarder.

Let's see Kimmy-cub had black hair with purple tips that was waist length and purple eyes, Carrie had black under layer hair and red upper layer hair with black streaks to the length past her shoulders and red eyes and her sister Lizz had the opposite hair design from her sister Carrie without the streaks and she had green eyes. I like to read and watch anime, write my own fanfic stories, play my guitar, and listen to my music as well as draw.

When I turned ten years old my parents told me that I was adopted and they were shocked on how I reacted.

"What? Nikki you're not upset?" asked my mom holding my dad's hand.

"No not really, I kinda could tell, I mean we don't look alike, and why else would I be spoiled and be able to do anything I wanted and not really get in trouble." I said with a smile and my hair and eyes changing to a purple color.

"'Cause Nikki we love you and well were glad we got a wonderful talented young lady for a daughter." Said my mom getting up giving me a hug and kissed.


	2. Chapter 2

Back to now . . . One day in August Sam came up to me and asked me, if I and one of my friends wanted to go to an immortal show. When I heard that I jumped to the opportunity to go. So I called up Kim.

"Moshimoshi!"

"Hey Roza, my brother Sam has a spare ticket to an immortal show! Do you want to go?"

"Sure I do!"

"Ok, it's at North County High School this Friday the 13th at 12:00 am. Mom said you can spend the night here, but she won't let us go so we'll sneak out, ok."

"Hai! I'll see you tomorrow then."

"OK, bye!"

"Sayonara!"

"HEY SAM, I'LL GO, SO WILL ROZA!"

"OK!" yelled Sam with some laughter.

So Friday night Roza came over to sleep over, but there was no adult's, my parents had to go to a business party, until way after the show would be over so when it hit near time me, Roza, Sam, and Rini walked up to hilltop right next door for a couple minutes then to North County cause we lived about 5 minutes away and we arrived a little too early. When we got to the entrance I and Roza looked at each other, gulped, then laughed because it was pretty funny, us being scared, so we walked in. About halfway done a long dark hall we ran into a very tall man by accident.

When he looked at me he smiled and said, "It's good to see you and again young miss," then offered to show us to our seats.

We said yes and on the whole way down I read his mind, 'Nikki, after tonight everything will change, you'll find love, horror, pain, happiness, and many other things. So be careful what you do.'

When we got to our seats he said in his mind, 'I'm glad to see you back with the family,' then walked away.

We didn't know that guy and it was weird that he said that, so we thought maybe he just mistaken me for somebody else and since it confused me my hair and eyes were multi colored and so we forgot about it.

Well we were like three rows from the front. When the lights dimmed we were all quiet and watched. There was a lady who was really pretty, that could control the water and fire element. They had a guy who could morph his size, shape, and appearance, he actually is a small guy with short blue hair but he changed to a guy with long green hair who was tall and medium build, he was really cool. One of the coolest things they had was a wolf man; he was covered from head to toe with hair.

We were then told that we had to be very quiet so that they could bring him around for us to touch him. Before they walked him around, two pretty ladies hypnotized him. When they got him towards us I touched his fur and then looked at Roza and shivered. They felt like fur spikes, it was kinda creepy. With me being creped out my hair and eyes turned yellow. There was one problem with that performance, well you see there was a gun shot nearby and well it was just loud enough that it broke the trance.

When the wolf man snapped out of it, he went ballistic and bit off some guy's hand. When that happened my hair and eyes instantly changed to white and the headmaster named Mr. Tall came over to the guy who had blood pouring out of his wrist, and said something in the wolf man's ear then the guys. It must have been hypnotic because both of them were asleep, Mr. Tall then called over two little people or kids in purple robes from head to toe, and that even covered their faces. They had a needle and thread.

With those items, the little people began sewing the hand back on. In five minutes, they fully sewed the hand back to the wrist with no blood coming out.

Then Mr. Tall told the man, "Now move your hand," but the guy didn't do anything.

So Mr. Tall said again, but louder, "MOVE YOUR HAND!"

That time the guy moved his hand and when he did he got out a piece of paper and a pen, and started to write.

When the guy was done Mr. Tall said, "In a few days the stitching will fall off and it will be back to normal."

When the guy heard that, he got up and thanked Mr. Tall, and then Mr. Tall continued the show.

The last and final person we saw was a man with short cropped orange hair, wearing a long red inside and black outside cloak as well as a black cloak. He showed us his pet spider. He also told us we had to be quiet or another incident like what happened with the wolf man might happen again, but even worse. He also told us that his spider is very poisonous so he didn't want us to try his performance at home because we would probably end up dead. He showed us how his spider could kill a goat, do tricks on several sizes of toy balls, how it could use a small gym set, and eat with a small set of silverware. He controlled her with a small silver flute. When he did his last trick, he didn't have the flute, Mr. Tall did.

The last trick was that, he let the spider crawl on his face, and then hang on his chin. The spider then swung from side to side like a swing on his face. Seconds later the performer moved his head back and the spider went up, up, up, up into the air. When that happened the small piece of web broke causing the spider to fall back down, and landed onto the performer's shoulder.

When it landed on his shoulder it looked really pist and looked like it wanted to kill. Suddenly Mr. Tall played a tune on the flute and the spider started to do something, but I didn't know what it was doing. Then I saw white stuff forming around his body. I then realized that the spider was making a web around his body as if to tie him up. When the spider was done, it got off his face and sat on his shoulders, then he showed us the web all the way around his body, I thought it was pretty disgusting which caused my hair and eyes to change to yellow green, but that was just me I guess.

He then started chewing at the web and then ate it until he was free, then said, "Mhm . . . delicious. That is considered a treat, where I come from." He then took a bow, grabbed his pet and left the stage with a big applause.

'I'm glad you liked it Nikki that was for you.' Said a mind of somebody and I looked around trying to match it the voice with somebody but I couldn't. And that really made me kind of scared.

As we were all getting ready to leave, when I heard a young girls thought laugh and say, 'Hahaha it's my turn to scare people,' a young girl then started screaming, "OH MY GOD SOMEBODY JUST GRABBED ME!!" And she was lifted up in the air and she screamed more. Then she went down and something ran through the crowd knocking into people here and there grabbing popcorn and other things and throwing them scaring kids. It actually scared me 'cause I was already scared from the wolf man incident, which my hair turned bright white and you couldn't tell the difference of my eye color and the whites of my eyes. Suddenly a young girl laughed and appeared and said, "Ladies and gentle men that truly ends the show, have a good night." then left the stage too.


	3. Nikki's colors & moods hair & eyes

Nikki's hair and eyes color and mood list

Happy-Purple

Cold-Blue

Scared-White

Creped-Yellow

Excited-Neon Green

Emo-Black

Bored-Silver

Childish-Light Pink

Mad-Red

Tired-Orange

Fascinated-Green

Sad/ Upset-Light Blue & Neon Blue

Hyper-Hot Pink

Pain-Blood Red

Normal-Light Purple

Hot-Bright Red

Calm-Dark Blue

Crushing/ In Love-Red & Pink

Sick- Yellow Green

Confused-Multi Colored

Pleasant-Pink

Shocked-Neon Yellow


	4. Chapter 4

That would have been the end, but Rini recognized the performer with the spider and wanted to meet him and get his autograph. When we went to meet him, he told us his name was Mr. Crepsley as he put his spider in her cage.

Mr. Crepsley actually had short orange hair with a nice face and blue eyes. He was about 5' 10'' a little on the small but muscular build. He seemed really nice.

After he introduced himself, my hair and eyes changed to pink and when it did Mr.Crepsley was pretty interested in it, but I introduced Roza, Rini, and Sam, then I said, "And my name's –,"

"I know your names Nikki," he said cutting me off and reaching for my extended hand to shake his, but him bending over to kiss it instead and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

'Boy Nikki you've grown so much.'

My hair and eyes turned neon yellow from the shock of him knowing my name.

"How did you know my name?"

"I heard your sister call you that," he said dramatically.

After we introduced each other, Mr. Crepsley showed us his pet spider that was sleeping in her nice warm bed in her cage, he told us her name was Madam Stella, who was the spider he used in his performance.

"Are you a Vampire?!" asked Rini randomly.

"Why do you ask?"

"Cause you're dressed like one, you're paler than anyone else, you ate a spider web, and I read about you in a book of vampire facts."

"Well since you said that, I am good guess."

"Cool! Can you change me into a vampire too?!" asked Rini in an excited way.

"Since you asked, it would be my pleasure," said Mr. Crepsley with a grin on his face.

"Rini, what about your life with us your family and friends," I asked as my hair and eyes turned light and neon blue.

"Nikki your mood went from yellow color to a light and neon blue color I take it your upset about this." said Mr. Crepsley.

"Yes I am."

"Oh Well I don't really care, I mean you're just my adopted sister, so go ahead Mr. Crepsley change me."

When Mr.Crepsley was about to blood Rini, he backed away and growled horribly.

"What's wrong, aren't you gonna turn me into a vampire?" asked Rini.

"I can't! Your blood is tainted with evil!" he said in disappointment and in a worried way.

"Well then, since that is over with, I don't want to hang out here anymore," said Rini.

So she left and waited for us at hilltops play ground. You should have seen how fast my hair and eyes turned purple of me being happy that Rini couldn't be changed.

"Well then I must get going, the sun is going to be coming up soon so I must go to my coffin," said Mr. Crepsley stretching.

"Ok it was nice to meet you and I hope you have a good sleep." I said thanking him.

"Thank you and you have a nice day," he said reaching for my hand and giving it another kiss, then leaving.

'Good Bye my dear Nikki, it was good to see you again,' he said in his mind but I was confused with it.

When Sam saw that again, he reacted as if he didn't like it. When he left I was looking at his spider and thought of a great idea why don't I take Madam Stella and show her off to all the people at school so I can get popular even though me and my friends are popular cause of the band. So all I did was write a note to Mr. Crepsley.

**Dear Mr.Crepsley, **

**If you're reading this note then that means you were looking for Madam Stella, but you won't find her cause well I have her. I thought it would be cool if I showed her to everyone at school, so don't worry she's in good hands.**

**Nikki Rose Avalon**

When Roza, Rini, Sam, and I got home, I decided to play the flute and command Madam Stella to do tricks like what we had saw that night at the Festival Du Immortel and everything was fine until one day . . .


	5. Chapter 5

One day Rini held Madam Stella the wrong way and well she bit her and Rini became very ill. So we took her to the hospital, the doctors told us that there was nothing we could do to save her. When we heard that my mother and father started to cry and well my hair and eyes changed to black, neon blue and light blue cause I was slightly Emo and being upset. 

So while my mother, father, and brother watched my sister slowly dying, I grabbed my coat and scarf and headed and headed for the door.

"Nikki sweetheart where are you going?" asked mom. 

"I have something I have to do then sit around and be Emo."

"Ok dear well meet you back home." I lied, I went to the one person I knew could save my sisters life and that was Mr.Crepsley. 

When I got there, Mr. Crepsley had just woken up from his long nap. When I told him what had happened, he told me he could cure my sister. When I heard that my hair changed to purple. But then he said there was another part of the story and that was to become his assistant. As soon as he told me this my hair turned Neon yellow, and I was about to faint, but then it turned light blue with the thought of my sister being in the hospital dying, so I agreed. Once I said yes he pricked my ten fingers as well as his own. It hurt so my hair and eyes turned blood red. 

As the blood started to ooze out, we put our fingers together. I could feel the vampire's blood going through my veins and I knew that I was no longer an ordinary human.


	6. Chapter 6

"What! You only made me Half-Vampire!" I asked surprised and relived. 

"Yes and you should be glad too, so you can still do stuff fun during the day."

I knew I couldn't stay home, since I started getting hungry for blood. I knew I could get blood cause once I started drinking, I might over do it and kill my family and friends. After that was over Mr.Crepsley cleaned our fingers, then I hoped on his back and headed over to the hospital. 

When we got there, we went straight to my sister's room. Mr.Crepsley got to my sister he pulled out a cross pin and stuck it to her wrist. For five minutes I sat there and watched him hold it to her wrist. When he was done all that was left was a scare of a cross. We then walked to the park and we sat and talked. He told me that he had a plan. I had to stay away from my family for at least three to four years.

"I know we can say I'm a school scouter from another state and I would like you to stay with our school for three to four years and you can come back for High School and I'll do it at night so you can say good-bye to your friends and family as well as pack. Does that sound good?" said Mr.Crepsley standing up with the idea.

"As long as I have my laptop and wireless connector so I can talk to my friends and my guitar of course." "Fine with me, just make it look like you're going to another school." 

"Ok and I can't forget my thick journal with my pens and pencils."

So after we said that Mr.Crepsley walked me to my house. When I walked inside my hair and eyes turned light purple and my parents were waiting inside.

"Nikki where have you been, we got so worried about you."

"I'm sorry but I thought I told you that I had a meeting with the school board. The one scouter is here with me and he wants me to go to Philmore Middle for awhile. Come in Mr. Wiley." 

When he heard that name he walked in and I read his mind that said, 'Wiley?' so I gave a look back that said, 'Sorry it's the only thing I could think of.'

The one thing I've noticed was that he wasn't wearing his cloak, which was good so it didn't look suspicious. 

"Mom, dad this is Mr. Wiley the school scouter, well me and him talked about the school and I want to go." 

So Mr. Wiley, mom, dad sat down talked while I went upstairs to pack my gothic pants and chains, and some shirts in my Green Day bag. 

Suddenly mom called me downstairs. When they saw me reach the living room, my mom got up and said, 

"Nikki we'll let you go. Mr. Wiley will pick you up at North County High School around 7:30 pm so we can have tonight be our last night together, so how about we order pizza and watch your and watch your favorite Lord of the Rings movie if you want."

"Ok can I invite my friends too?"

"Sure. Thank you so much Mr. Wiley. Would you like to stay for dinner?" 

With my Hair and eyes turning bright neon green, I begged excitedly, "Yes please Mr. Crep- Mr. Wiley." I said correcting myself very fast.

"I'm sorry, but I must go get the papers filled out for you Miss. Nikki." Said Mr. Wiley winking at me and I read his mind that said, 'I'm sorry Nikki, but I must tell Tall what's happening with the good news about you coming back and I don't want Rini to come home and rat on us if she see us.'

"Ok, then I'll see you tomorrow night." I stated as my hair turned light purple. 

"OK, then good night."

When he left I went up stairs and IM'd my friends to come over to spend the night for my last night and day, since I was leaving. And I told Roza what actually happened so she had a secret to keep like I had a secret to keep of hers, but like I said I'll get into that stuff later on in the story. When Roza got the message she ran right over since she lived two minutes away from my house. When everyone got here we ordered three large pizzas, one pepperoni, one cheese, and one with both extra cheese and pepperoni and put in the Return of the King, since that was my favorite one. We did all kinds of things, like play guitar hero one, two, and three. Then we played some last songs together as a band.

When the day came for me to leave, I packed my big thick book, laptop, guitar, pens, pencils, and some gothic, preppy, skater and other clothes. Then I walked to the car. 

We got there it was 7:32 pm. I know we were a little later, but my mom had to take a few last pictures before we left. They then left with just me and Roza waiting for Mr.Crepsley. 

Unexpectedly Mr.Crepsley jumped in front of us, off the roof. And when he landed in front of us my hair and eyes, turned White and Neon yellow from being frightened.

He laughed and said, "Sorry I didn't mean to frighten you two. So Roza was it? What are you doing here?" 

"Oh. Mr.Crepsley, I just wanted to say please take care of Nikki and good-bye one last time," as she gave me a hug and walked off.

"Alright come on we must get going and get your training done," as he grabbed my guitar and bags. 

As we started walking he didn't realize that I was there behind him one minute, and gone the next. Someone came from behind and kidnapped me. He knocked me out, gagged me, as well as tied my hands and legs together, then carried me away, and buried me at least 15ft. in a coffin in the ground.

Once I woke up my hair turned white that I could see that I was in a coffin, I became so scared that I didn't know what to do. So thinking just maybe someone could hear me, I tried to scream, then started to cry because no one could hear me especially since I was gagged. I didn't know what was going to happen, I started to think is Mr.Crepsley going to find me, am I dead, how far am I underground, will I ever find my real family. . . . . .


	7. Chapter 7

About an hour later I was still crying, but also slightly short of breathe. I then heard something shifting from above, and well I thought it was the person who put me in this horrible coffin, so I started to scream and again my hair lit up the whole coffin.

When the person opened the lid, I found out it was Mr.Crepsley. He carried me out of the huge hole, and untied me. My hair and eyes then changed again from white to neon and light blue cause I started to cry harder. I was so scared that it wasn't funny. 

Mr.Crepsley put his arms around me, so I could cry in his chest, and then asked, "Nikki are you ok? Do you know who did this to you?"

"No, I'm not ok. I'm scared and no, I couldn't see who did this to me, he came from behind and hit me on the head. I was so scared that I thought I was going to die. I never want to be put into a coffin again," I said muttering in his chest as he checked my head to see if it was a bad injury or not.

He then patted and rubbed my back and said," Shhhhhhh . . . its ok. I won't force you into a coffin and I'll protect from danger I promise. I promise."

An hour or two later we walked back to the school grabbed my stuff after I calmed down. Then Mr.Crepsley and I walked off into the dark, cold night and that's when I became his Vampire Assistant.


	8. Chapter 8

Three months went by; I learned almost everything I needed to know about vampires like full vampires can't be in the sunlight unless they wear heavy amounts of clothing. In the other hand half-vampires like me can be out in the sunlight and not even get hurt. I also learned that we can drink from cows, sheep, and dogs, but we can't drink from cats, it would be like pouring poison down our throats. We also could drink from monkeys, frogs, most fish, or snakes.

Vampires have to feed on humans about once every month. Most feast once a week. That way, they don't have to drink too much blood. If you feed once a month, you have to drink a lot of blood at once at a time. Mr. Crepsley said it was dangerous to go too long without drinking. He said the thirst could make you drink more than you meant to, and then you were probably going to end up killing the person you drank from.

"A vampire who feasts frequently can control him/herself," he said.

"One who drinks only when he must will end up sucking wildly. The hunger inside us must be fed to be controlled."

Fresh blood was the best. If you drink from a living human, the blood is full of goodness and you don't need to take very much. But blood begins to go sour when the person dies. If you drink from a dead body, you have to drink a lot more, "The general rule is, never drink from a person who has been dead more than a day," Mr.Crepsley explained.

"How will I know how long a person's been dead" I asked.

"The taste of the blood," he said.

"You will learn to tell good blood from bad, bad is like sour milk, only worse." "Is drinking bad blood dangerous?" I asked.

"Yes. It will sicken you, maybe turn you crazy or even kill you."

We could bottle fresh blood and keep it for as long as we liked, for use in emergencies. Mr. Crepsley had a few bottles of blood stored in his cloak.

He sometimes had one with a meal, as if it were a small bottle of wine.

"Could you survive on bottled blood alone?" I asked one night.

"For a while," he said.

"But not in the long run."

"How do you bottle it?" I asked, examining one of the glass bottles.

It was like a little test tube, only the glass was thicker, and darker.

"It's tricky," he said.

"I will show you how it's done, next time I am filling up."

It was what I needed most, but also what I feared most. If I drank human's blood, there was no going back. I would be a vampire for life. If I avoided it, I might be a human again. Maybe the vampire blood in my veins would wear out. Maybe I wouldn't die and then I could go home to my family, and friends.

It wasn't much of a hope. Mr. Crepsley had said it was impossible to become human again, but it was the only dream I had to hold on to. Without blood, we grow weak, old and die. Human blood is what keeps us young.

One random day I wanted to know how old Mr. Crepsley he looked like he was 35 so I asked.

"Mr. Crepsley, uhm . . . how old are you really like in human years cause you don't look very old?"

"How old do you think I am?"

"You look 35."

"Aw thanks." He said laughing. "In humans years I'm like almost 100."

"Really! That's cool, so like when I get 20 I'll look like I'm 18 or something?"

"Ha-ha something like that."

So as a half-vampire, I didn't have to drink as much blood as Mr.Crepsley, but I would have to drink some to live.

I also was really strong now. I could lift huge weights and crush marbles into small pieces with my fingers. If I shook hands with a human I had to be careful not to break the bones in their fingers, also with band practice not to break anything like the strings or even the guitar its self.

I could do chin ups all night long and throw a baseball farther than any grown-up. (I measured my throw one day then checked it in a book and discovered that I set a new record! I was so excited I told Kim online 'cause she never breaks a promise, but I couldn't tell anyone else. Still, it was good for us to know I was a world champion.)

My fingernails were thick, and the only way I could cut them was with my teeth; clippers and scissors were no good on my new, tough nails. Now I don't need a pick for a guitar. They were a pain though; I kept ripping my clothes when I was putting them on or taking them off. I was putting holes in my pockets of my jackets when I stuck them in them.

We'd covered a lot of distance since that night at the high school. First we'd fled at top Vampire speed, me, on Mr. Crepsley's back, invisible to human eyes, gliding across the land like a couple of high-speed ghost.

That is called flitting. But flitting is tiring work, so after a couple of nights we began taking trains and buses.

I don't know where Mr. Crepsley gets the money for our travels and hotels as well as food. He had no wallet that I could see and no bank cards, but every time he had to pay for something, out came the cash.


	9. Chapter 9

I hadn't grown any fangs, id been expecting them to sprout and had been checking my teeth in the mirror every night for three weeks before Mr.Crepsley caught me.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Looking for fangs," I told him. He stared at me for a few seconds, and then busted out laughing. 

"We don't grow fangs, you idiot!" he roared.

"But . . . how do we bite people?" I asked confused and starting to cry since he yelled at me.

"Don't cry it's just we don't grow fangs and we don't bite," he said, still laughing, holding me in his arms. 

"We cut them with our nails and suck the blood out. We only use our teeth in emergencies."

"So I won't grow fangs?"

"No. Your teeth will be harder than any humans and you can bite through skin and bone if you wish, but it's messy. Only stupid vampires tend not to last very long. They get hunted down and killed." 

I was a little disappointed to hear that. It was one of the things I liked about the vampire movies. The vampires looked really cool when the bared their fangs. But after some thought, I decided I was better off without the fangs. 

The fingernails making holes in my clothes were bad enough. I would have been in real trouble if my teeth had grown and I started cutting chunks out of my cheeks as well, I started to enjoy being with Mr. Crepsley, as if he was my father.


	10. Chapter 10

One dark and foggy night in October, I think it was the 17th. Mr. Crepsley took me with him to search for a human walking all by them, when we did; Mr.Crepsley told me told me the plan.

Then plan was for me to stay put in a foggy spot until the person got scared, ran, then stopped to take a breath, I was to show up out from the fog, don't talk, just stand still and look hungry, scared, cold, and tried. When they get close to me and when it was time, I will hear a snapping sound coming from the trees, I have to look up and then disappear, until he knocks them out.

He will teach me how to drink from a human and how to close the wound to keep the vampires safe from being discovered. After I understood the plan we started.

Mr.Crepsley climbed up the tree and followed a woman who was jogging all by herself. So what I did was go around the block in a nice foggy spot in front of the area where the jogger would be coming from.

Ten boring minutes went by, when suddenly the jogger came running towards me, then perfectly she stopped a couple of feet away from me where I could see her but she couldn't see me.

A second later I walked out of the fog.

In a scared way the jogger said, "Who's there?!"

Then she saw me and asked, "Hey there, are you lost? Do you need somewhere to stay to get some sleep and food?"

All I did was cough, shake my head and look cold, tired, hungry and scared, the only problem was that I had to wear my beanie since my hair changes colors, and you really couldn't see me eyes from a far distance. The jogger decided to get a closer look at me, so she walked slowly, a little bit closer to me.

Suddenly we both heard a loud SNAP from the tree above us and so we both looked up to see what it was. I instantly ran a few feet. The jogger saw that, "Where you going?"

Within seconds Mr. Crepsley was behind the lady and said something in her ear causing her to fall in Mr. Crepsley's arms.

He laid her down carefully, patted one of the jogger's legs and said, "Ah this leg is full of nice juicy blood."

After he said that he took his long finger nail and cut a slit on one of the jogger's veins. Within seconds blood came rushing out and when it did, Mr.Crepsley put his lips around the slit and started to suck the blood out.

Two minutes later he got up and moved to the side and said, "Come; now it's your turn."

I looked at the blood oozing out, then said, "Uh-uh, no way, I can't." as my hair and eyes turned white and yellow.

"You've drunk animal blood," he said.

"But, that's different. This is a human."

"So what?" he snapped "We are not. Vampires cannot live on animal's blood alone. If you don't start drinking human blood, you will grow weak. If you continue to avoid it, you will die. I mean this is your fifth time backing down from human blood." he said as my hair and eyes turned neon and light blue as I started to cry.

"I know," I said sobbing.

"You've explained it to me. And I know we don't hurt those we drink from, not unless we drink too much. But . . ." I shrugged unhappily and wiping the tears off my face.

He sighed and in his mind he said, 'again with the excuses and if she keeps it up she'll die and never see her real parents.'

"Very well, it is hard, especially when you are a half-vampire and the hunger is not so great. I will let you abstain this time. But you must feed soon. For you own sake." he returned to the cut and cleaned away the blood, which had been leaking out while we were talking, from around the women's leg.

Then he worked up a mouth full of spit and slowly let it dribble out of his mouth on the cut. He rubbed it in with his fingers, then sat back and watched. Within a minute the wound closed and healed. There was nothing left besides a small scar that the woman probably wouldn't notice when she woke up.


	11. Chapter 11

That's how vampires protect themselves. Unlike in the movies, they don't kill people when they drink, not unless they are starving or get carried away and go too far. They drink small doses, a little here a little there. Sometimes they attack people out in the open, as we just did. Other times, they creep into bedrooms late at night or into hospital wards or police cells. The people hardly ever know they've been fed on by a vampire.

When this woman wakes, she would only remember a sick young girl. She wouldn't be able to explain why she'd past out or what happened to her while she was unconscious. If she found the scar, she'd more likely think it was from the mark of Ghost than vampires. 

Hah! Ghosts! Not many people know that vampires started the walking dead stories. It was the perfect cover; people all over the world were waking to find strange scars on their bodies and were blaming it on imaginary ghost. Mr.Crepsley had knocked the jogger with a knock out spell, which they'll wake up about ten minutes later. Vampires can speak a special spell that only full vampires can speak, which makes people faint.

When Mr.Crepsley wanted to put someone to sleep, he would whisper the spell in their ears. Seconds later they were down for the count. Mr.Crepsley examined the scar and made sure it had healed correctly. He took good care of his victims. He seemed to be a nice guy, from what I could see, apart from the fact he was a vampire!

"Come," he said putting his arms around me, since I was still crying. "We'll go find a rabbit or a fox for you."

"You don't mind me not drinking from her?" I asked all perked up with my hair and eyes changing quickly to pink. 

Mr.Crepsley laughed to my changing of my hair and eyes 'cause he loved how it changes to every mood, shook his head.

"You'll drink eventually," he said, "when you're hungry enough."

"No," I said silently, behind him, as he turned to walk away. 

"I won't. Not from a human. I'll never drink from a human. Never!"


	12. Chapter 12

Three months later I woke up midday in the hotel while Mr.Crepsley had to sleep till night fall came. So what I did was make a bowl of Chicken noodle soup and a cherry Pepsi, for lunch. After I finished eating I watched TV for awhile then wrote in my book and typed in my laptop then hopped online to check myspace and see if Kim was online but she wasn't so an hour later I decided to go outside and see if there was anyone to play or hang out with.

When I finally found someone I sat and watched. I was watching a group of girls about my age playing lacrosse.

A few minutes later the leader came over, sat next to me and started to ask my questions like, "What's your name? How old are you? Did you just move here? Have you played Lacrosse before? Would you like to play with us?"

A few minutes later I told her my name was Nikki, I was eleven, I was in the area on vacation, I have played lacrosse for my middle school, and I would love to join them in a game. After I told her that, she went back to her friends and told them what I said.

Then she came back and said, "Oh, I'm sorry I forgot, my names Casey and I have one more question why do you look like you just came out of a grave yard?"

"The reason why I am wearing these clothes is because my house had a fire in my room and burned most of my clothes, that's why I'm here on vacation and these were what were left that didn't burn. I grabbed these when we were able to go back in and gather some of our things so that they could rebuild our house, and I'm getting new clothes. So how bout we go play?"

"OK. You'll be on my team," said Casey, "You do remember how to play?"

"Sure I do it's only been a few months since I've played."

"Well then let's start. Our goal is on the left."

I was the first to serve for my team and we were behind by six, the score was six to twelve.

After we started, I zipped past the other members like they were standing still and scored five goals. We were now behind by one point to be tied. When I was goalie, I blocked five goals and Casey scored three more, so we were in the lead by two. Then score was fourteen to twelve.

Then one of our team members got injured, so I played the goalie and the Starter. At this time our opponents were really angry that I was on their opponent's team. After we started, our opponents sent their toughest member on me and her name was Katie.

I had the ball and was running to our opponent's goal, when suddenly Katie started checking me and hitting me in the arms and legs.

After five times in the arms and four times in the legs, I had fallen. When I did, I roared loudly, got up and went after the ball, which was in Katie's control. I had so much rage in me that I started hitting and checking her as she had done to me, but slightly harder that they started to bleed. The problem was that she kept on going. So finally I struck her in the wrist so hard that she stopped and was screaming in pain. When she did that everyone stopped and ran over to her, to see if she was ok. When I got there I found out that I broke her wrist.

Everyone just stood there in shock, staring at me and said, "What did you do?"

"It was an accident; I didn't mean too, I'm sorry."

They just stood there staring at me.

"I think I should go," and ran as fast as I could, going towards the hotel.

When I got there Mr.Crepsley had just woken up, when I came in he said, "Hey where have you been, I thought we could go out to dinner or someth-" he stopped as he looked at me and saw that something was wrong and then said, "I'll start packing to be on our way."

Two hours later we were on our way to a new safe place, but we were getting tired and the sun would be up soon so we stopped at a rundown church in the middle of the country side. It was a nice place, were nobody would suspect that there was someone there. The bad thing was that we had to sleep on the floor and the pews.

An hour later Mr.Crepsley heard me shivering.

He sat up and said, "Nikki come here."

When I heard him, I got up, then sat next to him, then wrapped his blanket around both of us and so we lay down and dozed off to sleep. I felt, so much better, I was safe warm, he reminded me of a father. When I woke up in midday I decided to look around. So I got off the pew trying not to wake Mr. Crepsley since he had to sleep till night fall, so I grabbed my book and pencil, and headed out.

I went outside and looked around to see what there was to see. When I got tried, I sat down and sketched the church and my surroundings, and decided to rest a bit. When I was done with my drawings, five little bunnies came out to get something to eat, when they saw me they came over to check me out to see if I was safe, they started to play with me like a whole bunch of puppies would do. So I sketched them out as well. The smallest of them all, tried to hop over my leg but missed and fell over, it was so cute, and I couldn't help but laugh.

When it was about an hour before dusk I started to get hungry and thought that Mr. Crepsley would be hungry too since we rushed out of town in a hurry without eating anything.

So what I did, I ran to the river nearby with a farm next to it, of course I sketched out the scenery, grabbed some tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and lettuce. Then I did something horrible, that I didn't want to do, but I caught four of the five bunnies and killed them for our meal. I went to the river and got water, then fire wood for a fire.

When I got the fire stated I got the pot, bowls, and spoons from a bad that Mr.Crepsley had. I wanted to know how he could carry all that and me with all my stuff. I then put the pot of the fire adding the water with the chopped carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce and the bunny meat, I started to make the stew, and I learned how to cook ever since I was five years of age, since my brother or my sister didn't want to learn I took the advantage. So when it was just me, my brother, and sister I would cook for them and myself. The only thing that was different was that I didn't use rabbit meat I used chicken.

A half an hour later Mr.Crepsley woke up and stretched.

"Ah that was an excellent nap, muhm . . . something smells good."

"I made you breakfast and myself dinner, so that we could eat, I thought you would be hungry so I made it, mom use to teach me how to make dinner when I was little."

After I said that Mr.Crepsley sat down on the other side of the fire, when he was comfy I handed him a bowl of stew.

"Wow . . . This is very good and you made this all yourself."

"Yes sir I did, if you noticed the water is red, that's because it's water and rabbits blood. It was hard but I did it."

"Well you did a superb job."

"Thanks."

While we were eating Mr.Crepsley asked, "So what did you do while I was sleeping?"

"Well I played with bunnies, looked around and found a river and farm nearby. I made you breakfast and then sketched out everything I saw today." I said handing him my sketch book to look at.

"Wow these are great, you did all these?"

"Sure did. I even did sketches of the night at the Festival Du Immortel, and they're in there too."

"Wow. If we ever go to the Festival Du Immortel and we need posters or flyers done, you could do it and I could pay you some, from every costumer we get. "

"You would?"

"I sure would. So do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?"

"I really don't, but since you sound like you care."

"Well, I do care!"

"Well ok."

When I was telling him what happened, I started to cry.

"Aww, come here," he said trying to comfort me.

I got up, walked over to him and sat down next to him. He put his arms around me and rubbed my arm, then said, "You know your way stronger than humans."

"I know it's just that I get lonely and want to be able to play with someone, hang out with, and stuff."

"I understand that you miss your family, and friends."

He was quiet for a minute then said out of nowhere startling me, "I know what we can do, we can go tag along with the Festival Du Immortel, but you have to pull your own weight around, like help out."

"I don't mind."

"Ok then, we'll start packing up. Now that, that's over, do you miss your family?"

"Well I miss them but I do wish I could find my real family, cause when I was eight my parents told me I was adopted. I was left on-"

"I know, on their door step."

"How do you know?"

Mr.Crepsley took a deep breath then said, "'Cause I was the one who handed you over to them."

"So you know my real parents?"

"I sure do, you have a mother, father, and two brothers."

"Do you know their names?"

"You father's name is Larten, your mother's I can't tell you, and your brothers are Leon and Ren Kumo!"

"I like my brother Leon's name, and Ren Kumo sounds cool, but Larten? That's a weird name."

"Larten is a good name! And Ren Kumo means Lotus Cloud in Japanese." he snapped then calming down

"Ok I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's ok. Well then let's drop that subject, and let's start packing and head on out towards the Festival Du Immortel. Ten minutes later Mr.Crepsley finished packing and sat down in the middle of the church and he told me to be quiet.

I then asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to pick out, where the Festival Du Immortel is."

"How are you doing that?"

"I can home in on Mr. Tall's thoughts."

"You mean he's telepathic?"

"Sort of. We cannot speak to each other with our thoughts, but I can pick up his . . . aura you could call it. Once I located that, tracking him will be no problem."

"Can I do that?"

"Sadly no. Most vampires with a few gift humans can, but half-vampires cannot."

After he said that he closed his eyes. Then his eyes opened and he stood.

"Got him," he said loudly.

"So soon? I thought it would take longer," I said surprised.

"I have searched for his aura many times. I know what to look for. Finding him is as easy as finding a needle in a haystack."

"That's supposed to be hard ain't it?"

"Not for a vampire."

I was gazing around the church, something had been bothering me, but wasn't sure whether or not I should mention it to Mr.Crepsley.

"Go on," he said startling me.

"Ask whatever it is on your mind."

"How did you know I wanted to ask you something?" I said sort of freaked out.

He laughed. "It doesn't take a vampire to know when a child is curios. You have been bursting with a question since we got here. What is it?"

I took a deep breath.

"Do you believe in god?" I asked.

Mr.Crepsley looked at me oddly then nodded slowly.

"I believe in the gods of the vampires."

I frowned, "Vampires have gods?"

"Of course," he said. "Every culture has gods; Egyptian gods, Indian gods, Chinese gods, Vampires are no different."

"What about heaven?" I asked.

"We believe in Paradise. It lies beyond the stars. When we die, if we have lived good lives our spirits float free of the earth, cross the stars and galaxies, and come at last to a wonderful world at the other side of the universe- Paradise."

"And if they don't live good lives?"

"Then they stay here, unless they choose to stay here," he said. "But they remain bound to the earth as ghosts, doomed to wonder the face of this planet forever."

I thought about that.

"What's a 'good life' for a vampire?" I asked. "How do they make it to Paradise?"

"Living cleanly," he said. "Do not kill unless necessary. Do not hurt people. Do not spoil the world."

"Drinking blood isn't evil?" I asked.

"Not unless you kill the person you drink from," Mr.Crepsley said, "And even then, sometimes, it can be a good thing."

"Killing someone can be good?" I gasped.

Mr.Crepsley nodded seriously. "People have souls, Nikki. When they die, those souls go to heaven or Paradise. But it is possible to keep apart of them here. When we drink small amounts of blood, we don't take any of a person's essence. But if we drink lots, we keep part of them alive with us."

"How?" I asked frowning.

"By draining a person's blood, we absorb some of that person's memories and feelings," he said. "They become part of us, and we can see the world the way they saw it and remember things which might otherwise have been forgotten."

"But . . ." I stopped. "Do you only do that with people who ask, and who are dying?"

"Yes," he said. "It would be evil to kill a healthy person. But to drink from friends who are close to death, and keep their memories and experiences alive . . ." he smiled, "That very good indeed." "Come," he said then, "Brood about it on the way. We must be off."

I jumped on Mr.Crepsley's back, when we were ready to leave, and off we flitted.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

He still hadn't explained how he could move so fast. It wasn't that he ran quickly; it was more like the world slipped by as he ran. He said all full vampires could flit. It was nice, watching the country side drift away behind us. We ran up hills and across the vast plains, faster than the wind. There was total silence while we were flitting and nobody ever noticed us. It was like we were surrounded by a magical bubble. While we flitted I thought about what Mr.Crepsley had said, about keeping people's memories alive by drinking from them. I wasn't sure how that would work, and made up my mind to ask him about it sometime later.

Flitting was hard work; the vampire was sweating and I could see him starting to struggle. To help, I took out a bottle of human blood, uncorked it, and held it to his lips so he could drink. He nodded his silence thanks and his mind saying it, wiped the sweat from his face and continued on.

Finally, as the sky was beginning to lighten he slowed to a halt. I slid down off his back and looked around. We were in the middle of a country road, fields, and trees all around us, with no houses in sight.

"Where's the Festival Du Immortel?" I asked

"A few miles farther ahead," he said pointing.

"Wow this is beautiful can I sketch it out real fast, while you sit and rest 'cause I think you ran out of steam." I asked holding back my laughter.

"Go ahead and I didn't lose all my steam. I could have made it, but I didn't want to arrive looking flustered."

"Ok sorry, but you better not rest too long, "I said sketching out the scenery and warning him. "Mornings on its way."

"I know precisely what time it is!" he snapped. "I know more about mornings and dawns than any living human. We have a hole forty three minutes yet."

"If you say so." I said closing my sketchbook and putting it away.

"I do."

He stood, annoyed, and began to walk. I waited until he was a little in front, and then ran ahead of him laughing.

"Hurry up old man," I teased. "You're getting left behind."

"Keep it up," he growled with a smile. "See what it gets you. A smack on the ear, a kick in the pants, and maybe a tickle on the sides."

When I heard that I playfully screamed loudly and ran faster.

"You know you can't beat my speed," he said laughing and coming after me.

I blinked for a second to find Mr.Crepsley nearly in front of me, so I turned again but he just laughed and appeared in front of me again but this time I wasn't quick enough, so he caught me.

I slid to the ground laughing, him holding, and tickling me. I laughed so hard that my stomach was hurting. When he stopped, I got up and we continued to walk toward the Festival.

Ten minutes further Mr.Crepsley noticed that I was getting tired so we stopped and he let me hop on his back again, then he continued to walk. I was in a good mood, happier than I'd been for months. It was nice having something to look forward to. We passed a bunch of camouflage campers on our way. They were starting to wake up and move around. A couple waved to us. They were normal people; long/short hair, strange clothes. They looked like hunters. There were banners and flags all over the place. I tried to read them, but it was kind of hard to focus on them when the person you're on keep stepping unevenly in and out of holes and uneven ground, and well I didn't want to annoy him by asking him to stop just to read a few signs.

The road was very curvy and I felt a little sick from it. After the fifth turn, we finally spotted the Festival Du Immortel, nestled in a clearing by the banks of a river. It was quiet everyone was sleeping, I imagined- and if we'd been in a car and not be looking for the vans and tents, it would have been easy to miss. It was a weird place for the circus to be, there was no hall or big tent for the immortals to perform in. I figured this must be a pit stop between two towns.

When we go there I hopped off Mr.Crepsley back and followed him. He weaved between the vans and cars with confidence. He knew exactly where he was going. I followed, less sure of myself, Mr.Crepsley stopped at a long silver van and knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately and the towering figure of Mr. Tall appeared.


	14. Chapter 14

His eyes looked darker than ever in the dim light. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn he had no eyeballs, only two black, empty spaces.

"Oh, it's you," he said, voice low, lips hardly moving. 'Thank god there here we need more people to star in the show.' He said in his mind. "I thought I felt you searching for me." He craned over Mr.Crepsley and looked down to where I was standing. "I see you brought the young lady." 'Wow I didn't think this vision would seriously come true she's back with the family.'

"May we come in?" Mr. Crepsley asked.

"Of course. What is it, one is supposed to say to you vampires?" he smiled, "Enter at you own free will?"

"Something like that," Mr.Crepsley replied, and form the smile on his face; I knew it was an old joke between the two of them. 

We went into the van and sat down. It was pretty bare inside, just a few shelves with a poster and pamphlets for the Festival, the tall red hat and gloves I'd seen Mr. Tall wear before, a couple of knick knacks, and a hide-away bed.

"I didn't expect to see you back so soon," Mr. Tall said. 

Even when he was sitting down he looked enormous.

"A swift return had not been on the agenda," said Mr.Crepsley when he looked over at me he saw I was doing another sketch of Mr. Tall.

"Did you run into trouble?" Mr. Tall asked.

"No," Mr.Crepsley said, "Nikki wasn't happy. I decided she would be better off, among those of her own kind."

"I see." Mr. Tall studied me curiously. "You have come a long way since I saw you last, Miss. Nikki," he said.

"I liked it better where I was," I grumbled.

"Then why did you leave?" he asked.

I glared at him at him. "You know why," I said coldly.

He nodded slowly.

"Is it okay if we stay?" Mr.Crepsley asked.

"Of course," Mr. Tall replied immediately.

"Delighted to have you, actually Lexis Troas, Nicole and Nicolas, and Gera Trento are off on Vacation or business trip. Ledah Membre is on his way to join us, but is late getting here. Crepsley and his amazing performing spider will be an invaluable addition to the lineup."

"Thank you," Mr.Crepsley said.

"What about me?" I asked boldly

Mr. Tall smiled, "You are less valuable," he said," but welcomed all the same."

I snorted but said nothing.

"Mr. Tall you should look at her pictures that drew. She could help for photo drawings," he said taking my book from me, when I was still drawing him, and handing it over.

I huffed loudly and sat there with my arms crossed. When he looked, he looked through the whole book.

"Wow, these are amazing. I like how you got the figure of me."

"You really like them?" I asked surprised.

"Sure do. So if you want to, you can decorate our tent, and make our posters."

"Ok, I would love to."

"Ok that's what you can do."

"Where shall we be playing?" Mr. Crepsley asked next handing me my book, so I could continue sketching.

"Right here," Mr. Tall told him.

"Here?" I piped up in surprise.

"That puzzles you?" Mr. Tall enquired.

"It's the middle of nowhere," I said, "I thought you only played in towns and cities, where you'd get big audiences."

"We always get a big audience," Mr. Tall said, "No matter where we play, people will come. Usually we stick to more populated areas, but this is a slow time of the year for us. As I've said, several of our best performers are absent, as are . . . certain other members of our company," A strange, secretive look passed between Mr. Tall and Mr. Crepsley ,and I felt l was being left out of something and Mr. Tall said nothing in his mind, which sucked.

"So we are resting for awhile," Mr. Tall went on. "We shall not be putting on any shows for a few days. We're relaxing."

"We passed a camp on the way," Mr. Crepsley said. "Are they causing problems?"

"The hunters who are hunting different kinds of animals, in the nearby forest," Mr. Tall laughed

"They're too busy hunting animals and trying to fend for themselves. They've been here a couple of months but due to move on soon."

"Are they real hunters?" I asked. "Do they have guns and knives?"

The two adults almost laughed their heads off.

"She can be quite silly sometimes," Mr.Crepsley said between fits of laughter and messing up my hair, "but she is not as dumb as she seems."

I felt my face filling with anger and noticed my hair and eyes changing to a red shade, but held my tongue. I knew from experience that it was no use getting mad at grown-ups when they laugh at you; it only makes them laugh harder.

"They call themselves hunters," Mr. Tall said, "But they're not really. All they do is animals and try not to use electronics."

"Why-," I started, but Mr.Crepsley interrupted.

"We do not have time for questions, "he said. "A few more minutes and the sun will be up." He rose gave Mr. Tall a hug. "Thank you for taking us back."

"My pleasure," Mr. Tall replied.

"I trust you took care of my coffin?"

"Of course."

Mr.Crepsley smiled happily and rubbed his hands together. "That is what I miss the most when I am away. It will be nice to sleep in it again."

"What about the young miss?" Mr. Tall asked. "Do you want us to knock together a coffin for her?" 

As soon as he said that, I was about to cry with my hair and eyes turning White, and neon and light blue. 

Mr.Crepsley looked at me. He came over to me, put his arms around me, "No, I promised her that she wouldn't have to be put into one cause of someone kidnapping her and burying her alive. Why don't you put Nikki, with one of the other performers," he said. "Somebody her own age if possible."

Mr. Tall thought for am moment. "How about Evriana?"

"Mr.Crepsley's smile spread. "Yes I think putting her with Evriana is a marvelous idea?"

"Who's Evriana?" I asked nervously.

"You'll find out," Mr.Crepsley promised, opening the door to the van. "I will leave you to Mr. Tall. He will take care of you. I have to be on my way." And then he was gone, off to find his beloved coffin. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Mr. Tall standing directly behind me with his hands on my shoulders. I don't know how he crossed the room so quickly. I mean I didn't even hear him get up. 

"Shall we go?" he said.

I gulped and nodded.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

He led the way through the campsite. The morning was breaking and I saw a couple of lights coming on in a few of the vans and tents. Mr. Tall took me to an old grey tent, big enough for five or six people.

"Here are some blankets," he said, handing over a bunch of wooly sheets. "And a pillow."

I didn't know where he got them from- he didn't have those when he left the van- but I was too tired to ask.

"You may sleep as late as you as you wish. I will come for you when you awake and explain your duties. Evriana will take care of you until then." I lifted the flap of the tent and looked inside. It was dark to see anything.

"Who's Evriana?" I asked, turning back to Mr. Tall. But he was gone, having disappeared with his usual quick, silent speed. 

I sighed and entered, clutching the blankets to my chest. I let the flap fall back into place, and then stood quietly inside, waiting for my eyes to adjust. I could make out a vague shape in a hammock in the darkness beyond the middle of the tent. I looked for somewhere where I could fix my bed. I didn't want my tent mate tripping over me, when they get up. I walked a forward a few blind steps. Suddenly something slithered toward me through the darkness, I stopped and stared ahead, wishing I could see (my eyes haven't grown to the vampire's ability to see in the dark.)

"Hello?" I whispered "Are you Evriana? I'm Nikki. I'm your new—" I stopped. 

Suddenly with nothing around me, something randomly grabbed me by the throat.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter 16**_

I stood frozen with fear with my hair and eyes' turning white for more than 3 minutes, staring into thin air wondering what has me by the neck. When suddenly the sun light started to shine through the canvas, showing interference in the air from where the strangulation came from.

"Who are you?" said a young girl sharply. "What are you doing here?"

I stared at the invisible space that was talking to me, I was so scared I was shaking and I couldn't breathe.

"You'd better answer," she warned, "or I'll snap your neck right her right now!"

I . . . I . . . I'm nuh-nikki," I stuttered. "Mr. Tuh-tall told me to cuh-come in. he said I wuh-wuh-was suppose to be your new ruh-ruh-ruh roommate."

"Nikki?" the young girl questioned appearing out of thin air, and then pointed knowingly. "You're Mr.Crepsley assistant, aren't you?"

"Yes," I said quietly. The young grinned from ear to ear. "Did he know Mr. Tall was putting you in with me?"

I nodded and she laughed releasing my throat from her grip.

"I never met a vampire without a nasty sense of humor."

The young girl laughed again taking a step back "Your okay," she assumed me. "I don't like to kill people unless there a threat and all you did was startle me all you had to do was grab my hand with one of yours and you could have pushed off, I'm very sorry I sometimes can't control my attitude, again sorry"

"It's . . . . ok. . ." I squeaked trying to inhale "But . . . . How come I couldn't see you at all what are you?"

She smiled, "I'm a chameleon."

"YOU'RE A CHAMELEON!!" I started at her with my hair and eyes changing yellow.

I then stuck my hand to my head from the headache of all the blood rushing to my head. She just shook her head.

"A chameleon girl that's cool." I laughed uneasily. "Thank god you didn't kill me Mr. Crepsley would be upset!"

'Great she's just like him, with, if you do this, this will happen.' She thought.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing!" I said forgetting that I can read minds.

She looked at me a little confused, and then she threw back the tent flap and stepped out. I grabbed my book and pencil and followed her quickly, not wanting anymore surprises this morning.

She was exactly as I remembered: a few years older than me and very thin like me, with long Rainbow colored hair, narrow eyes, and strangely webbed fingers and toes; her body was covered in rainbow skin color. She was really pretty from what I thought.

She was only wearing a tight skirt and shirt, "By the way," she said, "My names Evriana Yule."

She held out a hand and we shook. Her palm felt slippery, but dry. A fell speaks of rainbow color stuck to my hand making it look like I just finished dying eggs for Easter "Evriana Yule what?" I asked.

"Just plain Yule," she said rubbing her stomach, "You hungry?"

"Yes," I said and went with her to get something to eat.

The camp was alive with activity. Since there had been no show the night before, most of the freaks and their helpers had gone to bed early, and now they were up and about earlier than usual. I was fascinated by the bustle. I hadn't realized there were so many people working for the Festival. I'd thought it would just be the performers and assistants I'd seen the night I went to the show with Kim, Rini, and Sam, but as I looked around I saw that those were just a snowflake of the snowstorm.

There were at least 2 dozen people walking or talking, washing or cooking, none of whom I'd seen before.

"Who are all these people?" I asked.

"The backbone of the Festival Du Immortel," Evriana replied. "They do the driving, setting up the tents, do the laundry and cooking, fixing and making costumes, cleaning up after shows. It's a big operation."

"Are they normal humans?" I asked

"Most of them," she said.

"How did they come to work here?"

"Some are related to the performers. Some just wondered in, like what they saw, and stayed."

"People can do that?" I asked.

"If Mr. Tall likes the look of them," Evriana said. "There are always openings at the Festival Du Immortel."

Evriana stopped at a large campfire, and I stopped beside her. Troc Tromper (a man who could morph his body to any shape, size, and appearance.) was resting on a log, while Lillian (the lady who could control the elements of fire and water) cooked sausages and beacon on a wooden stick. Several humans were sitting or lying around.

"Good morning, Evriana Yule," Troc Tromper said.

"How are you, Hans?" Evriana replied.

"Who's your young friend?" Troc asked eyeing me suspiciously.

"This is Nikki." Evriana said.

"You mean THE NIKKI who assists Mr.Crepsley!?" Troc asked, eyebrows rising.

"None other," Evriana grinned.

"What do you mean, 'THE NIKKI who assists Mr. Crepsley'?" I asked.

"You're famous in these parts." Troc said

"Why? Because I'm a--" I lowered my voice, "—Half-Vampire?"

Hans laughed pleasantly, while holding his stomach as if it hurt him to laugh.

"Half—Vampires are nothing new. If I had a two dollar bill for every half-vampire I'd seen, I'd have . . ." he scrunched up his face and thought. "Twenty-nine two dollar bills. But young half-vampires are a different story. I never saw or heard of a young girl your age living it up among the ranks of the walking dead. Tell me! Have the Vampire Generals been around to inspect you yet?"

"Who are the Vampire Generals?" I asked.

"They're--"

"Troc!" a lady washing clothes barked.

He looked around guilty.

"Do you think Mr.Crepsley would enjoy hearing you spreading tales?" she snapped.

Hans made a face. "Sorry," he said, "It's the morning air. I'm not use to it. It makes me say things that I shouldn't say."

I wanted him to explain about the Vampire Generals, but I guess it would have been impolite to ask, Lillian checked the sausages and beacon, pulled a couple off the stick, and handed them out, when she came to me, she smiled cause she saw the picture I drew then asked me, "Did you draw that?"

"Yes ma'am I did."

"It looks really good."

"Thank you ma'am."

"Your really polite so do like sausages or are you a vegetarian?"

"That's a good one!" Troc chuckled. "A Vampire a Vegetarian!"

I took one with a smile and said thank you.

I took a bite into it and had to drop it immediately, it was blazing hot! Evriana laughed and handed me a glass of water. I drank it until my mouth was back to normal, and then blew on my food to cool it down.

We sat with Hans and Lillian and the others for awhile, chatting, eating, soaking up the morning sun, and me sketching out the people. The grass was wet with dew, but none of us minded, Evriana introduced me to everyone in the group. There were too many names for me to remember at once, so I just smiled and shook hands.

Mr. Tall soon appeared. One minute he wasn't there, then the next he was standing behind Evriana warming his hands over the fire.

"You're up early, Master Nikki," Mr. Tall remarked.

"I couldn't sleep," I told him. "I was too—"I looked over at Evriana and smiled "--invisi-tied (Invisi-tied)."

"I hope it will not affect you to work," Mr. Tall said.

"I'll be fine,' I said. "I'm ready to work."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"That's what I like to hear."

He pulled out a large notebook and flipped through the pages.

"Let's see what we can find for you to do." He said. "Tell me. Are you good cook?"

"If you count making food for a brother, sister, and parents."

"Well that won't work. So how about you help Evriana with her chores and when I need posters and pamphlets done, I'll call you." He said snapping the book closed and putting it away.

"I'd like that," I said.

"You don't mind Evriana?" he asked the Chameleon-girl.

"Not at all," Evriana replied.

"Very well, it's settled. Evriana will be in charge of you until further notice. Do what she says. When your colleague-in-blood rises"-he meant Mr.Crepsley- "You're free to speed the night with him if he so desires."

"Domo arigatou gozaimasahita. Mr. Tall-San," I said taking a grateful bow.

"Ah I see you know the Japanese way and it's my pleasure," he replied with a smile.

I expected him to suddenly vanish then, but instead he turned and walked away slowly, whistling, enjoying the sunshine.

"Well, Nikki," Evriana said, sticking a rainbow arm around my shoulders, "Looks like you and I are partners now. How do you feel about that?"

"I feel good . . . partner."

"Cool!" she slapped my shoulder and gulped down the last of her sausages.

"Then let's get going."

"What do we do first?" I asked.

"What we'll be doing first every morning," Evriana said. "Cleaning the tent up after breakfast, I always leave a lot of stuff lying around after a show, and we'll be looking for my pet, she's a mini garden snake."

We walked to the tent and Evriana looked at me and said, "Are you okay? Cause you look paler than your suppose to be, are you drinking any human blood."

"No actually I'm scared, I'm not good with snakes," I said in a scared way.

"It's ok, I'll look for her I have a feeling where she might be, ok," she said smiling and patting my back.

"Ok, I feel better thanks."

"No problem."

When we found her we cleaned the room and set up my bed in this neat hammock. When we were done with that we had to feed the wolf man.

His cage was near the back of the campsite, he roared when he saw us coming. He looked as angry and dangerous as he did when he did that night I went to the Cirque with Sam, Rini, and Kim.

He shook the bars and lunged at us if we got too close—which we didn't!

"Why is he so vicious?" I asked, tossing him a large chunk of raw meat, which he grabbed in mid air and bit into it.

"Because he's a real wolf-man," Evriana said. "He's not just somebody very hairy. He's a human and half-wolf."

"Isn't it cruel to keep him chained up?" I asked, throwing him another slice of meat.

"If we didn't, he'd run free and kill people. The mix of human and wolf blood has driven him mad. He wouldn't just kill when he was hungry; if he was free, he'd murder all the time."

"Isn't there a cure?" I asked, feeling sorry for him.

"There isn't a cure because it isn't a disease," Evriana explained. "This isn't something he caught, its how he was born. This is what he is."

"How did it happen?" I asked.

Evriana looked at me seriously. "Do you really wanna know?"

I stared at the hairy monster in the cage, ripping up the meat as if it were cotton candy, then gulped and said, "No I suppose I don't."

We did a bunch of jobs after that. We peeled potatoes for the night's dinner, helped repair a tire on one of the cars, spent an hour painting the roof of a van, and walked a dog. Evriana said most days were like this, just wandering the camp, seeing what's needed doing, helping out here and there.

We had a lot of time to ourselves, and during our quieter moments we told each other about our lives – were we'd come from and how we'd grown up. Evriana had been born to ordinary parents. They were horrified when they saw her, they a banded her in an orphanage, where she stayed until an evil circus owner bought her at the age of four.

"Those were bad days," she said quietly and getting ready to cry. "He used to beat me and treat me like a real Chameleon. He kept me locked up in a glass case and let people pay to look and laugh at me."

She was with the circus for seven long, miserable years, touring small towns, being made to feel ugly, freakish, and useless. Finally, Mr. Tall came to the rescue.


	17. Chapter 17

"He showed up one night," Evriana said, "He appeared suddenly out of the darkness and stood by my cage for a long time, watching me. He didn't say anything, but neither did I. The circus owner came. He didn't know Mr. Tall, but thought he might be a rich man, interested in buying me. He gave his price and stood there, waiting for an answer. Mr. Tall didn't say anything for a few minutes, and then his left hand grabbed the circus owner by the neck. He squeezed once and that was the end of him. He fell to the floor, dead. 

Mr. Tall opened the door to my cage and said, "Let's go, Evriana." 

I think Mr. Tall's able to read minds, which is how he knew my name."

Evriana was quiet after that and tears started to run down her cheeks. I gave her a hug. 

"Do you want to see something amazing?" she finally said, snapping out of the crying mood.

"Sure," I said.

She turned to face me, then stuck out her tongue, licked both ear lobes, then pushed it up over her lip then right up her nose!

"Eww!! Gross!" I yelled delighted.

She pulled the tongue back and grinned. "I've got the longest tongue in the world," she said. "If my tongue was long enough, I could poke my tongue all the way to the top, down my throat, and back out my mouth again."

"You couldn't!" I laughed.

"Probably not." She giggled. "But it's still pretty impressive."

We just sat there and giggled for hours. Later, when Mr.Crepsley asked me what I'd done all day, I told him, "I made a new friend." 

When he heard that he smiled and said, "Good, I'm glad to see you smile."


	18. Chapter 18

We'd been with the Festival for 5 weeks and nights. I spent my days helping Evriana and my nights with Mr.Crepsley, learning about vampires. He's always acting wired around me, it's really strange. I was going to bed earlier than I had been, though I rarely hit the sack before one or two in the morning. Evriana and I are tight friends. She is older than me, but she was shy – probably because of her abusive childhood – so we made a good team.

As the 6 weeks rolled by, I was gazing around the small groups of vans, cars, and tents, feeling like I'd been part of the scene for years. I was starting to suffer from the effects of going too long without drinking human blood. I wasn't as strong as I had been as a human, but I could feel my powers slipping a little more every day. I didn't care. I'd rather lose some strength than drink from a human.

I was relaxing with Evriana on the edge of the campsite that afternoon when we spotted someone who was covered in a long heavy cloak covered from head to toe. It was Mr. Crepsley! He was heading towards Mr. Tall's van. So what Evriana and I did was sneak-up and follow. When he went into the van and closed the door Evriana and I went over to it and listened. 


	19. Chapter 19

"Hibernius Tall what is this all about? Why did want tome about in the middle of the day," said Mr.Crepsley kinda grouchy.

"I asked you to come from several reasons. One Mr. Tiny's coming soon and I want Nikki to know about him so she knows how he is," said Mr. Tall seriously. 

"And two?" said Mr.Crepsley sounding like he's in a hurry.

"And two is she is doing very good. She really takes after you, and I'd like her to stay a while longer."

When I heard that, I thought a minute and well it stumped me. Then I heard that they were getting ready to leave and then I heard that one word that made it click in my head.

"Oh and Larten?"

Flashback

"Your brother's names are Leon and Ren Kumo, your mothers I can't tell you and your fathers in Larten."

"I like my brother's names, but Larten, that's a weird name."

"Larten is a good name! And Ren Kumo means lotus cloud in Japanese." he snapped then calming down.

End of Flashback

'That's why he snapped at me.' I thought to myself.

"Yeah," Mr.Crepsley said in reply.

"Do take care of her, she seems to like you."

"Yeah I'm glad; I just hope she doesn't find out that I'm her --."

That was it I ran in.

"Nikki, no wait what are you doing?" Evriana said to me but I didn't answer her.

"YOU LIER! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT THAT YOU . . . YOU WERE MY FATHER." I yelled crying.

"Nikki! Nikki please I was going to tell you, when I thought it was the right time and that's in three weeks on your birthday." Mr. Crepsley said walking up to me trying to calm me down.

"NO I HATE YOU! I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH YOU ANYMORE!" I said pushing him away, crying even harder, then running out the door past Evriana.

"Nikki! Please wait!" yelled Evriana, trying to stop me, but again I didn't hear her.


	20. Chapter 20

I ran as far away from him as I could. I never wanted to talk to him again. About ten minutes later I reached an abandoned apartment, it was falling apart and rundown. I thought I was far enough and it was the only building in sight for miles, so I went inside.

When I went inside I saw that all the floors were gone except for the ground floor, and the boards that support the floors were left on the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth floor. It was darks with very little light shining through the hole in the roof, it was cold and damp, and it had just recently rained about two nights ago. The wallpapers on the walls were like all gone, and there were some mirrors around, hanger hooks, and other stuff left behind. At the bottom of the ground floor there was a big pile of broken tables, chairs and cabinets. 

I sighed and decided to walk to the eighth floor. The steps were almost rotted out I stepped on one step and my foot went through and the wood cut my ankle, it was bleeding but I didn't care. So I carefully placed my foot on the steps as I continued to climb up the horrible rotted out steps. When I reached the fourth floor I noticed that the first six steps were gone, so I had to jump to get to the next set of steps to get to the eighth floor.

When I got there I realized that it got colder as I reached higher and higher to the top of the floors. I didn't care I just shook off the cold and continued till I got to the floor I was intending to sit upon. When I got up there I walked back and forth, practicing my high kicks and punches, then sat down in the middle of the boards thinking about how much I hate Mr.Crepsley and kept saying to myself, "I hate him, I'll never go back. NEVER!"


	21. Chapter 21

While I was there Mr.Crepsley and Mr. Tall were out looking for me while Evriana went back into our tent. As she was fixing her bed, Mr. Crepsley walked in, took of his hood and asked, "Evriana? Nikki hasn't come back yet has she?"

Evriana jumps from being startled and gasps. Then says after taking a deep breath, "No, I'm sorry Mr.Crepsley she hasn't. Do you want me to go out of the Festival and look for her for you?"

"Would you mind, please? The sun's really painful for me even in these clothes. And if you can tell her I'm sorry about lying to her."

"Sure thing Mr.Crepsley," she said with a smile.

He puts his hood back on heads out the door, stops and says, "Oh, and sorry for startling you," and walks out.

While they were looking for me, I was walking back and forth on the board and a couple of times I've almost fallen over from the dizziness so I decided to stay seated in the middle of the board.

Fifteen minutes later Evriana found the apartment, she thought just maybe I would be in there, so she started to call my name. Suddenly I heard the person calling me, so I got up to reply, but fell back down cause I got dizzy from not drinking any human blood and the loss of blood from my ankle.

After a few times of the person calling me, I finally figured out the voice, it was Evriana! So I called out, "Evriana I'm inside!"

"There you are. What are you doing up there?"

"Just sitting and wishing that I never fucking met Mr.Crepsley."

"You know if you never met him, we wouldn't have become good friends."

"I know. I really hate him though.'

"Are you going to come back?"

"Nope." I said folding my arms and sticking my nose in the air.

"Ok, well, why don't you come down so we can talk?"

"Ok, I'll be right down."

So I got up carefully and started to walk slowly to the stairs on the beam I was on when I heard a cracking sound. I ignored it and continued to walk across, when I got close to the stairway I heard a louder crack and I started to fall. Evriana screamed loudly when she saw me. In seconds I landed hard on the seventh floors board but I didn't stay there for long cause the force from me falling broke the board within seconds and I started to fall again.

I grabbed the next free broken board I could, I ended up scraping my hands badly, when finally I caught hold of a broken board running my stomach into a broken mirror jabbing pieces of glass into it.

"I'm getting help!" yelled Evriana running out of the apartment.

"No! I don't need anyone's help! I'll be fine!" I yelled back at her but I don't think she heard me.

I took my free hand and tried to get the big piece of glass out but it kept slipping from the blood on my hands so I gripped it even harder and pulled it out, I cut my hand even worse then what it was before from the grabbing of the wood. So at the end of hanging I had a bleeding ankle, a bleeding stomach, two bleeding hands and I think something wrong with my ribs, unless all I did was knock the wind out of me, oh well. . . that's what I say. The blood from my hands were running down my arms and back, the blood from my stomach was pooling up in my shoes and dripping down to the floor, I was clinging to the fourth floors edge hoping that I could somehow get up and over the edge of the floor, but I knew I couldn't I was losing too much blood which was connecting to my strength. So I just hung there with one hand on the board and the other trying to stop the blood from flowing out of my stomach, but it didn't work.

I just hung there and said, "I guess since I was wrong with life this is how I am gonna dying."

The worst thing about all this was that my vision became very blurry and my hand began to slip from the board I was holding.

Suddenly I fell. All I heard was the wind passing by my ears which was very faint.

I laid there falling; it felt very long of a fall, when suddenly it stopped.

I then heard as the falling stopped, "Gotcha!"

I couldn't figure out the voice but all I know it was a man who caught me from falling to hell.

I then heard faint and muffled, "Don't worry Nikki, I got you, your gonna be alright, I promise, just stay awake, your --," that's all I heard, I was out like a light from the loss of blood.


	22. Chapter 22

While I was out . . . . .

Mr.Crepsley had made it to the scene; I was already on the floor lying there on the floor still with a blood pool forming around my still body. My hair was a dark shade of blood red which meant my eyes were the same. Mr.Crepsley just stood there at the entrance and stared in shock, and thought I was truly dead.

"No. No! Nikki No! Please don't be dead, please," As he ran to my side.

I was turning cold and I was barely breathing. Mr. Tall was examining my wounds.

"Hibernius is she dead, please say she isn't." said Mr.Crepsley as he sat next to me.

'Well she's still breathing faintly, she has some major damage. She has a cut around her ankle which isn't that bad that you can heal well, she has two big cuts on her hands, and a nasty one on her stomach."

Mr. Crepsley ripped off some of the bottom of his cloak cleaned the blood around my ankle then put spit on it, it healed nicely since it was small, then cleaned of the blood on my face, probably from my hands, then wrapped my hands to absorb some of the blood. While holding me in his arms he said crying, "I am so sorry. I should have told you. I was foolish not to tell you. I'm sorry please, don't die on me." Then he said still crying, "Hibernius go get the doctor of the Festival and tell him to get ready for a patient and meet me in my van. While you're waiting for me and him get the bed room ready for us to lay her on the bed to be take care of her."

"Yes sir," he said and disappeared.

Then Mr.Crepsley picked me up after putting on his hood back on, and carried me out in the sun. He had layers of clothes on to protect him, but the sun still burned him.

When he got to his van the doctors had just got there. He laid me down on the bed and the doctor checked me out.

"She still has a pulse, so that's a good sign. Though, she has lost a lot of blood. All I can really do is give some blood, wrap her hands, stitch her stomach, give her pain killers, and lots of rest," said the doctor checking me out.

"No, please don't give her blood, I'll ask her when she wakes," said Mr.Crepsley.

"Ok, but you know she'll be very weak."

"I know I'll take care of her."

"Ok," he said starting to clean up my hands and wrap them. He then cleaned my stomach and made sure he got all of the class out then stitched it up.

"What about you Mr.Crepsley? Are you going to be ok? I mean your burns."

"Uh, yeah I should be ok, thanks."

"Sure, no problem."

"Oh, and doctor can you check Nikki's ankle she had a cut all the way around it can you see if she broke it or sprained it at all."

"Sure thing, take care of yourself."

All Mr.Crepsley did was sit next to me and cry hoping I would wake up. Evriana and Mr. Tall would come in and out every few hours to check on me and Mr.Crepsley.

Only once did Mr.Crepsley leave, his presence wasn't there, I don't know why but he was gone for a long time.


	23. Chapter 23

_About five weeks later I had woken up and was wondering where the hell I was. All I could see was a midnight blue ceiling._

"_Nikki," said I soft voice._

_The worst thing was my eyes were still blurry so I couldn't see well. I went to rub them, but when I did I felt they were wrapped._

"_What happened? Where am I?" I asked confused. _

"_You're in my van. If Evriana didn't come and get us you would have bled to death and broken your body in millions of pieces."_

"_Who is us?"_

"_I, Mr.Crepsley or I should say your father and Mr. Tall."_

"_I got to get out of here!" I said rushing up with pain._

_I got up while my whole body rushed with pain._

"_No! Nikki please don't get up, you'll open your stitches!" _

_I didn't listen, which is what I'm good at, I got up off the bed and as soon as I got my feet on the floor and up on them, I fell to the ground. _

_Mr.Crepsley started to help me up, when he did I yelled, crying, and trying to push myself away from him, "GET OFF OF ME!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!! I FUCKING HATE YOU!!" _

_I suddenly decided to just give up, I knew I wasn't going anywhere, I was too weak from the pain and loss of blood, and so I just sat there crying. Mr.Crepsley grabbed a hold of me, put his arms around me, and let me cry in his chest. As I cried he rocked back and forth and shushing me. As I cried my vision cleared up. 'Yay me.' _

_After a few minutes Mr.Crepsley picked me up and sat me back on the bed, then pulled my shirt up to check my stitches, luckily they didn't come undone, so he was relieved. Suddenly we heard a knock on the door._

"_Come in," said Mr.Crepsley._

"_Is she awake yet?" said a familiar voice. _

_Then out of the shadows Mr. Tall and Evriana came with gifts. They came over to see how I was doing. When I saw Evriana I noticed she was crying._

"_Evriana, are you ok?" I asked weakly as my voice croaked._

"_No, but I am now that I know your ok, but you scared me badly, I thought you would die and I would lose my best friend. I mean you lost a lot of blood and you were asleep for five weeks and I got worried." She said starting to cry._

"_I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?" I asked sitting up a little more comfortable._

"_Yeah, why wouldn't I?" she said with some laughter and wiping the tears from her face, then handing me a gift. 'I hope she likes it. . . .'_

"_What's this?" I asked confused and my hair and eyes going multi-colored._

"_It's your birthday present silly!" she said laughing._

"_Oh yeah . . . . I forgot," I said laughing._

_Mr.Crepsley held me up while I opened my present from Evriana._

_It was an 80g iPod with songs from Korn, Green Day, Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin, AFI, Cardcaptors, Children Of Bodom, CKY, Crazy Frog, Disturbed, The Egales, Fall Out Boy, Metro Station, Avril Lavenge, High School Musical, H.I.M., Hinder, Inuyasha, Jesse McCartney, Flyleaf, .Hack, Killers, Kingdom Hearts, Nana Kitade, Godsmack, Nickleback, Panic! At The Disco, the opening and Ending of Rumbling Hearts, Papa Roach, Shinedown, Mudvayne, POD, R.E.M, Guns 'N' Roses, Rob Thomas, Slipknot, Pokémon, Soul Asylem, Stained, Star Wars, Story of The Year, Avenge Sevenfold, Paradise Kiss, System of A Down, Tatu, All American Rejects, Three Days Grace, Skillet, 3 Doors down, Skillet, Pillar and Good Charliot._

_It also had movies on it like my Cardcaptors, Pokémon, Naruto, Inuyasha, Sailor Moon, and Halloween, Pirates of the Caribbean, .Hack, Rush Hour, Indiana Jones, and many more._

_When I was done looking at it, I opened my arms to give her a big hug. It was painful but it felt good to get a hug from her._

_When I put it down, Mr. Tall came over to me and said, "Nikki, I wish you would not have done something like that, we all got worried, and scared us cause we all love you very much."_

"_Don't worry I'll try not, it depends. I wasn't trying to do this myself," I said weakly._

"_Oh before I forget, later on when you feel better I have a giant van with two big bed rooms, a small fridge with stuff that's easy for you to eat and a nice bathroom. It's from me and the whole Festival. When you get better, you and Evriana can move in and you can design it however you want."_

"_Wow, really?! Thanks, I will sure do that." I said very happily causing my hair and eyes turned purple._

"_No problem." He leaned over and gave me a big light hug. _

_They then said their goodbyes about ten minutes later, so I could rest. _

_When they left Mr. Crepsley said, "Nikki, sweetheart. I have a few things to tell you. One. . . . I'm sorry for not telling you the real story about me. Two . . . . I love you with all my heart and I'm glad you're alright."_

"_But if you're my father then why did abandon me. . . ." I asked interrupting him._

"_Because you see it's a long story, if you want to listen I'll tell you."_

"_Please just tell me. . . ."_

"_Well you we had to give you away, you see it's rare, but since your mother and I are vampires were supposed to have vampire children like your brothers, but when she had you the doctor told us that you were human, with special powers, but we couldn't keep you . . . . We were afraid something would happen to you. Your mother couldn't handle the fact to say good bye so she left it to me, I took you to a family that I grew up with and sat you on their door step and left cause I couldn't take it, you were so beautiful. . . . . . _

_When I heard that we were going to your neighborhood, I was so happy. That's how I knew your name and everything else. I've missed you so much as well as your mother and brothers, when they see you again they all will be so glad that you'll be in the family again. So how bout it will you stay with us. I mean will you stay with us?"_

"_Does that mean that my special abilities are that I can store all my energy, ran slightly faster than others, listen to something and be able to play it, read minds, and be able to every karate move there is, are those my special powers, I've been born with?" I asked._

_Mr. Crepsley nodded, "You can read minds!?"_

"_Yeah you couldn't tell?"_

'_Oh boy I have to make sure I watch what I think.'_

"_Ha-ha Yeah I guess you will."_

"_What did you just read my mind?"_

"_Yeah it's uncontrollable, sorry. Ha-ha." I said laughing_

'_Damnit.' He thought._

"_So will you stay with us?" asked Mr. Crepsley._

"_Hell yeah, I mean I've been looking for my real family for a long time, but is it ok for me to still call you Mr. Crepsley, until I get use to you being my father?"_

"_Anything for you sweetheart."_

"_Thanks, uhm . . . . . I have another question?"_

"_What is it? Is there anything bothering you?"_

"_Uhm . . . nothing really except the pain, but can I go outside for a little bit."_

"_Can you get up?"_

"_I think, I don't know." I got up and slid off the bed._

_When I got off the bed and let go I ended up falling, with Mr. Crepsley catching me before I hit the floor, and held me as I walked up. The reason why I was falling was that I was weak from the loss of blood and wasn't drinking any human blood._

_When we got outside, I found out it was the middle of day, all of a sudden I heard Mr. Crepsley was in pain. 'Damn I forgot it was mid day out.'_

_I turned to him and said, "Mr. Crepsley you go inside, it's bright out, you can't be out here, I'll be fine."_

"_No! I will not leave you, you need me."_

"_No, it's ok, I'll be fine, trust me."_

"_Before I forget, please stop by Lillian's van."_

"_Why?"_

"_You'll see," he said with a smile_

"_Ok, well you go in and rest."_

"_I should be telling you that, but don't worry about me I'll be fine." He said laughing._

"_Ok, well I'll be back soon."_

_After that I walked slowly around the camp, stumbling a few times. When I reached the campfire, I saw Mr. Tall and Evriana making soup. From what I could smell, it smelled like Minestronie or something._

_So I walked over to them and said, "Mmmh . . . . Something smells good."_

"_What are you doing out of bed?" said Evriana in shock._

"_You should sit down and rest." Said Mr. Tall_

"_Yeah. . . . I think I should." I said trying to sit down._

_I had a hard time sitting but Mr. Tall helped me down safely. "Are you hungry?" he asked once he made sure I was ok._

"_Oh yes, I'm starving."_

"_Oh good! We made vegetable and noodle soup." Said Evriana all happy._

_My hair and eyes turned red and pink feeling embarrassed, "Aww you guys didn't have to make me lunch."_

"_Yes we did cause we love you and we don't want that incident that happened two weeks ago to happen again." Said Mr. Tall _

"_Ok, I promise, I'm sorry."_

"_Well here eat, be careful it's hot, and just eat slowly, so you don't hurt yourself anymore." Said Evriana._

"_While you're eating I need to tell you about Mr. Minuscule. Mr. Minuscule is already here and he knows why we've been so busy and down in the dumps and he understands. But he is a guy u need to be careful with there's nothing to be scared about but he has these nasty little followers, that travel with him, there called Little People._

_They don't talk; they wear long robes covering their bodies and a mask covering their face. They eat flesh so that means human and animals so just watch what you do and say. I just thought I'd let you know about him when you see him."_

'_He's really not bad it's his little people, who are scary,' thought Evriana._

_I laughed at that thought, and they both looked at me weird, you see they found out that I could read minds, or actually hear thoughts, lol._

"_So how's your soup?!" asked Evriana._

"_IT'S FANTASIC!!" I yelled happily, "I've never had this kind of soup before."_

"_So you really like it." Asked Mr. Tall_

"_Hell frickin yeah!!" I said loudly._

"_Good that was my mother's recipe." Said Mr. Tall_

"_Well I love it." I said laughing carefully._

"_It isn't too hard to swallow, is it?_

"_Nope, it's perfectly fine, thank you."_

"_Also before I forget did your father tell you two important things?"_

"_Like what?"_

"_Well, did he tell you that you wanted you to play the flute for Madam Stella for the next coming shows?"_

"_What?! HE wants ME to perform with him!?" I said with my hair and eyes changed Neon yellow._

"_Yeah he figured that since your part of family now, and you play the flute really good. So he thought you would do it."_

"_Hell yeah, I'll do it. I'll have to give him a big hug when I get back to the trailer."_

"_And the second thing, did he tell to stop by Truska's van?"_

"_Yeah, he did. I think I should do that now. Thank you for lunch. I really loved it."_

"_Ok, well then we'll let you go and were glad you liked it."_

_After he said that, he helped me up and I went off to Lillian's Van. When I got there I knocked on the door._

"_Who's there?" said Lillian._

"_It's Nikki; I was supposed to stop by for some reason."_

"_Oh, Nikki sweetheart come on in."_

_So I walked in, I was surprised about the size it was a medium size on the outside and an extra large on the inside. It was huge!!_

"_So I here you got hurt badly, you're a punk, and you need new clothes. Is that right?"_

"_Yes ma'am that's right." I said with my hair and eyes changing multi- colored._

"_Well how would you feel with your hair done, and getting new clothes?"_

"_I would love that a whole lot!"_

"_Well let's see what I can find."_

_She went over to her dressers and closets, and pulled out a few pairs of pants with chains and pockets, even some cute Emo pants, as well cute shorts Capri's and skirts. She then pulled out tons of tops with a whole bunch of bands and movies on them. Then she got boots and shoes in my size for me. The last things she got me were earrings, chokers, armwarmers, necklaces, socks, leggings, hats, hair pieces, nail polish, scarf's and jackets._

_After that she told me to sit down and she gave me a haircut. She angled and layered my hair it looked really good, I know I loved it._

"_Now that we got your hair done how bout you pick out an outfit."_

_So I walked over to the different piles and picked out a nice purple and black lacey spaghetti strap shirt, fish net tights that were purple with black under them, a necklace that had a rose on it with a tint of Aquamarine on it my birthstone, and a purple and black skirt that stopped mid-thigh with chains hanging from it. I chose a vidila that was grey, flaming guitar earrings, and lacey wrist-warmers._

"_When I was done and came out Lillian smiled and said, "Oh, look how pretty you are! If you want you can keep the rest of the clothes I have no use for the, and if you point at stuff and say Shrinkada, everything g you point at will shrink. And if you say Normada everything will go back to normal."_

_I sat in her van thanking her for everything when she said, "I also know some nice eye shadow, lipstick ,eye liner, and blush that will make you look even more prettier, I can pick some out and give it to you, and paint your nails, if you like?"_

"_You would really do that for me?"_

"_Anything for you sweetheart."_

_So she went and got the last few items, in eye shadows she got blues, purples, reds, greens, and black, then she got the eye liners, blushes and lipsticks for me as well. She then painted my nails. They were black with purple tips, I really loved them. I then did my eye liner and mascara._

"_See you look even prettier, it outlines your best features."_

"_Thank you so much, I must be going now and check on Mr. Crepsley, again thank you."_

"_No problem sweetheart, see you later. Oh, and tell your father to take care of himself more and you, Kay, bye dear."_

_When I got to the van, Mr. Crepsley had fallen asleep, so I grabbed a blanket and covered him up, then went to the bed where I had been sleeping for the past few weeks. _

_I hoped on it, trying not to open my stitches. When I got settled I listened to my iPod, and wrote in my journal. When I was done there I got on my laptop and typed up stuff and added new pictures on my slideshows and looked to see if anyone was online. _

_When I signed on I got a big message from one particular person, it was the screen name CrimsonBlaze, which was my Kimmy-Cub aka my best friend Roza so we decided to have a little chat. _

_**CrimsonBlaze:**__ Nikki-Kitten what have u been up 2? R u ok? U haven't been on_

_4 a while._

_**VampiriaPrincess13**__: O Kimmy-Cub nothing much, I've been out 4 a real long _

_Time. I'm a little better now. I got really hurt 5 weeks_

_Ago._

_**CrimsonBlaze**__: What happened? And y isn't ur web camera on?_

_**VampiriaPrincess13**__: Well I haven't been drinking human blood cuz I don't _

_Want 2 and well I found my real father._

_**CrimsonBlaze**__: O yeah I keep 4gettin Mr. Crepsley turned u in2 a vampire._

_Well half-vampire, so u could save Rini. That's good news that u found him. So who is? Tell me everything._

_**VampiriaPrincess13**__: ok I'll tell u everything. 1__st__ I'll tell u who my father is and_

_then I'll tell u everything else and how it started, and 2 2days. Ok?_

_**CrimsonBlaze**__: Ok_

_**VampiriaPrincess13**__: ok. My real father is Mr. Crepsley. It all started midday 5 _

_weeks ago at the campsite. . . . _

_I typed the story telling her the story._

_**VampiriaPrincess13**__: The doctor stitched my stomach up wrapped my hands. _

_I woke up now, meaning I wuz out 4 5 weeks. I'm very weak with bad pains, but I got my own giant van to share with Evriana and my hair cut. Do u wanna c?_

_**CrimsonBlaze**__: Whoa!! U MEAN TO FUCKIN TELL ME THAT MR. CREPSLEY IS_

_YOUR REAL FATHER HOW ODD IS THAT!! And sure I would love to ur hair and I wanna c the damage._

_**VampiriaPrincess13**__: yeah tell me about it._

_I turned on my web cam, and she did the same._

_**VampiriaPrincess13**__: so what do you think?_

_**CrimsonBlaze**__: wow u look good. So now let me c our band member's damage._

_I showed her my hands, since I had to rewrap them, then I showed her the stitches._

_**CrimsonBlaze**__: WOW! That looks painful._

_**VampiriaPrincess13**__: hell fuckin yes, it is. . . . well I'm getting tired so I'm_

_gonna rest._

_**CrimsonBlaze: **__okie dokie nite Nikki-Kitten Shlove u._

_**VampiriaPrincess13**__: shlove u 2. Bye._

_When I signed off I crawled under my covers and fell asleep. 5 hours later I had woken up and found out that Mr. Crepsley had left. So I went outside to see if I could find him. As soon as I got out there I realized it was night time. Since my vision was still I little blurry I took my time trying to find him. When I walked a bit further, I had finally found him, he was talking to a guy who was really tall. _

_When I got to them Mr. Crepsley said, "Ahh, Nikki, one, I hope you liked what Lillian did for you, and two, I know your vision is still a little blurry, but I would like you to meet Mr. Minuscule. Mr. Minuscule this is my lovely daughter that I was talking about."_

"_No, this isn't that little baby girl Nikki, that I saw the first and only time when you were taking her to your friends house?"_

"_Yes, this is her." Said Mr. Crepsley with a big smile and putting one arm around me. _

"_Ahh, well you sure have grown since the time I saw you I think you were 1 when your father was taking you to a new family, but it's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Nikki." Mr. Minuscule said in shock._

"_It's nice to meet you too." I said sticking out my wrapped hand to shake his, but instead he lifted it up and kissed it._

"_You should be careful with your delicate hands right now."_

_He had a deep voice, sounding like he was 30-40, he was had short hair it was a blonde shade. _

_After we were done talking, Mr. Crepsley and I went inside and talked for a little bit._

"_So Nikki I was hoping you would do me two favors and I have something to give you for your belated birthday. This is for you," he said handing me a box with holes in it._

"_What is it?"_

"_You'll see."_

_When I opened it up, there laid from what I saw was a black kitten with pixie wings plushie._

"_Awww what a cute plushie--"_

"_I am not a plushie thank you," said the animal taking flight in my eye level._

"_Wow it talks and fly's, but were does the batteries go?" I asked, with a couple chuckles from Mr. Crepsley._

"_I don't need batteries cause I am not a toy." Said the animal in a rage tone, while Mr. Crepsley started laughing._

"_Nikki, this is Spinnel Sun or Spinnel for short. He is a black kitten with wings who transforms into a big panther with butterfly wings. She's very useful in battles; she can fly and has powerful hyper beams. She can also run really fast."_

"_Wow. I'm sorry Spinnel; I'm not use to this stuff just yet. My names Nikki, I guess you can consider me as your new owner."_

"_Cool, I really didn't care being with Kero and Leon."_

"_So you know my brother and he owns something like you, neat."_

"_Yeah I'm glad that I got a girl for an owner, cause I girl needs her beauty treatment. You'll take care of me won't you?"_

"_I sure will you can count on it."_

_When I said that Spinnel flew over into my lap and started to purr. When she got comfortable I started to pet her. "So what else did you want to talk to me about?"_

"_Well one I would like you to play the flute in the show. Would you do that for me?"_

"_Sure, I would love to. Now what was that other thing you wanted me to do?"_

"_Well uhm . . . . What I need you to do is, I need you to drink some human blood cause your getting weaker each day. And if you don't soon, you'll die and I don't want anything to happen to my favorite and only daughter."_

"_I'll play that is it, I'm sorry but I won't drink from a human, I don't care if I die, cause I'm not going to drink since I'm only HALF-Vampire!"_

"_Please! Nikki, I'm begging you, I don't want you to die!"_

"_NEVER!!" I screamed at him then picking up Spinnel, and then walking out very quickly. I went to go see what Evriana was doing. _


	24. Chapter 24

A few days went by and I was still very mad with Mr. Crepsley and Spinnel and I got very close. She took me and Evriana on runs in the fields and nice flights in the moonlight and under the stars, it was so beautiful.

One day me and Evriana decided to go on a walk, and we passed the camp of the hunters.

After five miles past the camp we stopped and talked under the tree.

"So Nikki, are you still mad at your father?" asked Evriana.

"Yeah Master Nikki, I wish you wouldn't be mad at him he's just trying help, but I understand your brother did the same thing when he was young." Said Spinnel sitting next to me as I stroke her head.

"Yeah I'm mad at him, he knows I hate drinking human blood and I don't want it."

Suddenly we heard a loud snapping sound coming from the tree, "Whose up there!" I yelled.

No one answered. Suddenly I felt dizzy again and started coughing. I fell to the ground on my knees coughing even more.

"Nikki, are you ok?" asked Evriana kneeling down to my level.

"I don't know."

"Miss Nikki, you haven't been taking your medicine again, and haven't drank any kind of blood, have you?" said Spinnel transforming to her bigger form and trying to comfort me.

"No, I haven't and I might be starting to get ill and I might die cause of me not drinking human blood."

After I said that the thing from the tree jumped down and said, "Here I'll help you under the tree."

It was a teen boy, who was about 5' 6", skinny in size, with shoulder length white and blue striped hair. He kneeled down, helped me against Spinnel, who was lying against the nearest tree, and looked at me for a few minutes then said, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just haven't been drinking uhm. . . my medicine!"

"Oh, ok, for a minute I thought you said human blood, cause if you did say that I would have to hide the fact that you're a vampire from my friends cause they are vampire hunters and I'm one in training, which I don't want to be."

"So if I told you something like my father's a vampire, you wouldn't care?"

"Nikki! You wouldn't!?" said Evriana all hysterical. 

"What?!" I asked.

'Please lord; don't let her turn in her father.' Thought Evriana

"Can you really trust him?" asked Evriana.

"Yeah I don't see anything wrong with him?" I said crossing my arms.

"You know I'm standing right here?" said the young boy.

'Wow this Evriana girl is really pretty.' Thought the young boy.

"Oh, uhm sorry." I said with my eyes and hair changing red and pink.

'Whoa that was cool' thought the boy again.

I just sat there and laughed.

They both looked at me and I shook my head and the boy said, "Before the conversation was interrupted, no I wouldn't care, in fact I think vampires and stuff are cool."

"Ok . . . well. . . . Hi the names Nikki Crepsley and I'm a vampire as well as my father."

"Whoa! You're telling me that you're a vampire? Then why are you out in the sunlight and not getting hurt?"

"Well you see I'm only half-vampire. I can walk out in the sunlight and not get hurt not like my father."

"That's pretty cool but how can you be half if your father is full?"

"Well that's a long story let's just say I was born human, sent to a new Family for safety, my step sister was in trouble went to a vampire for help, ending up having to become a vampire, but in the rush only turning me into a half-vampire, then later finding out that the vampire in truly my real father."

"Wow that's a mouthful. Ok if you can't get hurt then why did you fall over coughing really bad?"

"When I was blooded about a half a year ago I made an oath to myself that I would not drink from a human and well the problem is that I'm getting weaker every day that I don't drink. I have a little bit of bad vision, I can't walk well, and I lost a lot of blood from an incident a few weeks ago."

"What happened?"

"Well my father before we came here, told me he knew my parents and he was the one who dropped me off at the house I grew up in, cause I was adopted. Well he told me my brother's and father's name stating that he couldn't tell me my mother's name cause she felt really bad to give me up, hoping that I would find them sooner or later. Well one day he was talking to our boss about how much he likes me here and hoped that I would find my family soon. Then he called my father by the name of he gave me that was my father's before I knew it was him, and realized that my father was my real father. I got so upset that I ran in called him a liar, and ran as far as I could not wanting to go back. I finally reached an abandoned apartment and stayed up on the 8th floor, until Evriana found me."

"That's me!" she said with a smile.

"So I decided to talk to her for a bit, as I walked towards the stairs to go down to the ground floor the board snapped from under me causing me to fall 8 floors giving my two bloody hands and a huge cut on my stomach." I showed him my hands and stomach.

"Ouch!"

"I lost so much blood that I didn't wake for five weeks and I ended up getting Spinnel Sun who is the one behind me, who is my guardian, an iPod, and a van for me and Evriana can share once I get better, and new clothes. So that's what happened to me and why I'm like this. Enough about me, who are you and why are you here?"

'Oh I'm so dumb and rude how could I not tell them who I was!'

"Oh I'm sorry the name is Kadash, and I followed you cause I didn't want to be near my friends cause all they have been trying to teach me how to be a vampire hunter, but I don't want to, cause I think their cool, so can I stay with you? I don't want to be with them anymore."

"Sure, I'll ask my father. Oh Evriana guess what I'll be doing in three nights?"

"What?"

"I'm going to be performing with my father."

"That's awesome, what will you be doing?"

"I'll be playing the flute. Do you want to hear it?"

"Sure I would love to hear it."

"How about you Kadash? Would you like to hear it?"

"Sure I would like to hear it as well!" said Kadash sitting on the ground.

After I got the answer from them I pulled out my flute which wasn't like Mr. Crepsley's, mine was more expensive. I then started to play.

I played weakly, but still played beautifully. I played for about five minutes. When I was done I asked, "So how was it? Did you like it?"

Evriana was sitting there trying not to cry and then she said, "That was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard."

"I agree, but the thing is, I've never heard it before. Who wrote it?" asked Kadash.

"I did, I write songs for guitars, piano, flute and violin." I said proudly.

"Wow you could be in your own band if you wanted."

"That would be cool, but my band lovers want me for guitar, violin, and flute solos or duets, as well as my singing. They all love me."

"Wow! You're in a band?" said Kadash shocked.

"Yeah it's a band with all my friends which we started at the beginning of the school year."

"What's the name of the band?" asked Evriana.

"Were called the Demonics."

"Demonics? Demonics. . .?" said Kadash puzzled. "You mean Demonics who do the Fall Out Boy's Dance, Dance with the he's and she's switched and some of the other words are redone? And you do other songs by request, as well as play songs that you wrote?" asked Kadash getting all excited.

"Yeah that's us."

"Oh Wow! When I get your cd that my friends made can I have your autograph?!"

"Sure thing! I'll even invite you to a concert with backstage passes and meet the whole band. And see us front row."

"You can do that?"

"Sure can." I giggled, then suddenly I started coughing. So what I did, was I leaned back against Spinnel for while, but it continued. So I got up, but fell back down. "Hey uhm . . . can you guys help me get on Spinnel so I can get my medicine in Mr. Crepsley's van, cause I need it majorly?"

"Sure thing Nikki, well help right Kadash?"

"Anything for my new friends."

After a few minutes Evriana and Kadash helped me up on Spinnel's back then they walked to the Festivals camp.

By the time they got there the sun was going down. As Evriana was about to open the door, Mr. Crepsley opened it cause he was on his way out to find me. When he saw me he smiled, cause I was sound asleep, so he picked me up and carried me in since Spinnel couldn't fit unless she went to her smaller form. When he laid me down he saw blood, so he checked my stitches. 

He found out, that when I fell I opened up my stitches. So Mr. Crepsley ran to get the doctor. Spinnel then came up in her small form and curled up in-between my arm and side.

The doctor came in with Mr. Crepsley about five minutes later, I was sound asleep. Actually I was in a dead sleep, so they stitched me up and the doctor gave Mr. Crepsley pain killers and cough medicine. What had happened was that I caught a bad cold with a high fever. Mr. Crepsley had to give me a pain killer every six hours and my cough medicine every four hours. 

Before the doctor left he said, "Larten I have bad news."

"What's wrong doc?"

"While I was stitching her back up, I found out that her wound is having a hard time healing not like the others, it looks like it punctured her one ovary, so she might not be able to get pregnant when she gets older, and have a family."

"Oh no, I'll tell her when she gets older and is ready for it."

"Yeah she might have stitches for the rest of her life 'cause of her injury. Ok, well you have a good night.'

"Thanks Doc you should get some sleep."


	25. Chapter 25

Two days later before the show, Mr. Crepsley took a long nap 'cause he spent the last two days and nights keeping an eye on me. I was sleeping 'cause my medicine makes me sleepy at times. Mr. Tall and Evriana would check up on me and if I was awake they would give me my medicine, but I would only be awake for seconds.

On the third day I woke up about 3 or 4 hours before the show and thought maybe I could get Kadash a ticket for him to see the show. So I got up carefully and ran over to Mr. Tall's van without Spinnel since she went over to Mr. Crepsley and slept with him for a bit. Before I could get there I ran into Mr. Minuscule. 

"Whoa Nikki, you don't want to open your stitches he said catching me in his arms and smiling at me.

"I'll try and be careful. Well I got to go before the show starts."

"Ok, you be careful you hear?"

"I will thank you."

I slowed down a little bit each minutes but still going pretty fast, 'cause I didn't take my cough medicine or my pain killers. A few minutes later I reached Mr. Tall van, before I could knock, Mr. Tall opened the door and handed me a ticket and said, "Be careful Nikki, if you want I can play backup if you tell me what you're playing."

"Sure I could use some backup, I might need it."

I handed him the music sheet that I wrote up, that I had in my pocket.

"You sure you don't need this?"

"I'm sure, I memorized it, all up here." I said giggling and pointing to my head.

"Ok, well hurry up and give that to Kadash and get back to the van so you can get ready. Kadash is very useful here, so I'm letting him stay with us."

"That's great! I'll have another friend to talk to. Do you know where he is?"

"I sure do! Kadash and Evriana should be at the fire area pilling up fire wood for tonight's fire."

"Ok, thanks."

"Do you want me to carry you there to save your energy?"

"That would be nice, but no thanks, I'll be ok, thanks anyway."

So I headed off to the fire area slowly. I reached it about fifteen minutes, cause I was staring off into space when I suddenly saw Kadash and Evriana. They were bringing in enough wood for at least two months.

"Hey Kadash, What's up?"

"Nothing really, just finishing up my chores that Mr. Tall gave me. How are you doing? I mean you were asleep for a real long time."

"Yeah, it was just the medicine the doctor gave me cause he had to stitch my stomach back up. Oh here this is for you, and I have good news."

"Thanks, but what is it and what's the good news?"

"That's a ticket for tonight's show silly, and the good news is that, Mr. Tall likes you so much that you can stay."

"Yeah!" said Evriana all happy jumping him and giving him a kiss with the two of them blushing.

"Sweet for both the ticket and for the news. This is really cool. Thanks."

"It was nothing. I mean you helped me when I needed it, and Mr. Tall likes it that your really strong and talented. Oh look at the time I need to get going I got to get ready for the show."

"Ok well I'll see you tonight."

"Bye." I finally said while leaving.

By the time I had gotten back to the van I had an hour to wash my hair, change my outfit and do my make- up. So what I did was quickly jumped in the shower, got out in ten minutes, dried my hair, then picked out a black and blue corset, a purple trench coat the stopped behind the knees and had a slit from the waist down, with no sleeves, I wore a skirt the was short in the front and frilled long down to the back, that was blue metallic, black high heel boots and black fishnet stockings, and purple and blue arm warmers. I put half of my hair in pigtails hanging in the back leaving the back down. I added black, red, purple and blue ribbons and yarn strands in the pigtails.

I put on a choker on that had a flaming cross on it, and flame earrings. I then did my make-up. I had purple eye shadow, black eyeliner, and red lipstick. I painted my nails a metallic blue.

Thirty minutes before the show Mr. Crepsley came in to see if I needed help and to make sure I wasn't nervous. There was something strange going on with him but I couldn't read his mind. 

"Wow you look beautiful. Are you nervous?"

"A little bit."

"Well it's ok. What we'll do is, when I'm done saying everything important to the audience, I'll say something like "Now my lovely daughter will assist me" or something like that you can come out on Spinnel or something. And when you're ready you can give me a signal and start to play the flute giving the commands to Madam Stella."

"Ok, you're the boss Mr. Crepsley."

"That's my girl so yeah I'm gonna help the others get ready."

So I walked back into the room that I had been staying in and woke up Spinnel, who was sleeping big form on the bed.

"What is it Miss Nikki? Is something wrong? I was having a good dream."

"Aw I'm sorry Spinnel. Do you want to be in the show with me?"

"Sure, what do you want me to do?"

"Well when Mr. Crepsley calls me in, you can fly me around the room and next to the dim light where Mr. Crepsley will be."

"I can do that."

"Ok then let's get you ready. I mean you have long hair so let's brush you out."

So I brushed her hair out, then she went in small form, we walked towards the door and realized that Mr. Crepsley left Madam Stella Behind so I grabbed her and ran outside. Spinnel transformed, I hoped on Spinnel and we ran to the tent. 

When we got there Mr. Crepsley was about to walk out when I yelled, "Mr. Crepsley! Wait!"

He turned and looked at what I had in my hand. "Oh thank you sweetheart, it would help if I had her." He kissed my head then went out.

While he was talking to the audience Mr. Tall came over and said, "Nikki, are you ok?"

"Sure am, why you ask?"

"You just don't look too good."

"I'm fine, I'm just a little nervous."

"Well take a deep breath you'll be fine, and head on out." He said giving me a back up wink and a big smile.

I hoped on Spinnel and we took flight, we flew around and Spinnel let out a big roar. 

When she roared everyone got scared, Mr. Crepsley just laughed and said, "It's ok everyone, it's just my daughter and her fearless pet."

When we landed next to Mr. Crepsley and another dim light hit us. Everyone oh'd and ah'd in fascination when they saw Spinnel. Mr. Crepsley helped me off Spinnel and I took a bow, you should have heard all the guys' thoughts and voices when they saw me, and boy did Mr. Crepsley try and ignore that his mind was going wild.

I gave Spinnel I long loving pet and a snuggle to the face telling her I love her and thank you, and then she walked off. When she left the light, Mr. Crepsley said, "Now if my lovely assistant will start the show, by playing a tune, but don't watch her watch our spider and you'll see what this is all about."

When he said that I pulled out my fancy flute and began to play.

After I while I suddenly felt dizzy and the world began to spin. So in the command I gave Madam Stella I told her to stop if or when the music stops, and somehow I think she understood 'cause she looked at me and gave me a small glare that I understood.

Suddenly I fainted and for some reason I didn't hit the floor, something caught me. When I woke up I was in the room I was staying in for the past month and a half with a wet cloth on my head.

Suddenly I heard a familiar voice say, "Nikki? Nikki, are you ok?"

It was Mr. Crepsley. 

"I think so, what happened?"

"Well you had a strange look on your face then you fell to the ground, I had caught you right before you hit the ground. Your fever rose badly."

"Did Madam Stella what she was doing?!"

"Yes she did, why?"

"Because I told her if the music stopped to stop, so she wouldn't hurt you."

"Well she did what she was told and I'm fine. I'm only worried about you. Thank you for thinking about me. Are you going to be ok by yourself?"

"Where you going?"

"Oh I'm going to help the others get ready for their performances. If that's ok."

"Sure, I'll be fine."

"You stay in bed, you hear me young lady."

"Yes, sir," I said disappointed, when he heard my answer, he leaned over and kissed my hot forehead then walked out.

Spinnel was still at the tent helping the performers, so I pulled out my sketch book and laptop out and started drawing pictures that Roza sent me in emails. 

Randomly I heard something like chains rattling outside. So what I did, I carefully walked outside and looked around, but saw nothing. Again I heard a noise but this time it was a snarling sound coming from behind and that's when I knew what it was.


	26. Chapter 26

I turned to find myself face to face with a big set of yellow eyes, and big white teeth in a big drawling mouth. 

It was the wolf man. 

Some how he got set free and was in front of me very angry. I think he was so angry, that he was going to kill, and the one he was going to kill was me. I stood still in fright for a minute, then turned running for my life. While I was running I started screaming and I thought I could lead him to the abandoned apartment. 

When I got there I tripped and fell. When I turned myself up right the wolf man was right behind me again. I was so scared that I grabbed the first thing I could to protect myself and that was a piece of wood. 

I tried to hit him in the head, but he grabbed my hand with his one hand and raised me off the ground, and with his other hand he grabbed my throat. With the pain I instantly dropped the board with my hair and eyes turning blood red. I had a hard time breathing and cause of it my vision went blurry. 

Then out of nowhere, someone picked up the board I dropped and started hitting the wolf man and said, "Let go of my daughter."

I knew who it was instantly so with my last breath I said, "Daddy I'm sorry." Then I blacked out.

While I was out . . . . 

Mr. Crepsley hit him a few more time but even harder. Suddenly the wolf man fell to the ground, after 30 hits Mr. Crepsley had knocked him out. After the wolf man was out Mr. Crepsley ran over to me, and checked my pulse, he noticed that it was very weak.

When I had fallen the first time I opened stitches from I rock on the ground and I wouldn't wake.

While he was checking me out, Mr. Tall came with some helpers especially Kadash since he was really strong and took the wolf man back to the camp. Kadash saw Mr. Crepsley pick me up and he got worried. While they took the wolf man back Mr. Crepsley carried me back to the van and got the doctor.

while the doctor was checking me out and stitching my stomach back up, Evriana who was crying in Kadash's arms, Mr. Tall and Mr. Crepsley were outside the room waiting. Like I said Evriana was crying in Kadash's arms, Spinnel was in Mr. Tall's lap being pet, and Mr. Crepsley was pacing back and forth in the room. 

Ten minutes went by, when the doctor came out Mr. Crepsley ran straight to him.

"Doc is she alright? How's she doing? Is anything wrong? Will she be alright? Please tell me what's going on?"

"I'm sorry but I have bad news, She is slowly dying."

"What!?" said Evriana getting more upset, "She promised me she would be y friend to the end, now's not the end, we just became friends!" she said running in the room.

"Evriana!" said Kadash running in after her.

Evriana stood there in shock to see that my skin turned white, and how I laid there peacefully. She then ran to me, "Nikki! No You Can't Leave Me Now. I Need You." She said grabbing my hand. "She's ice cold. . . Nikki, Please, Please we still have a lot of shows to star in together."

Kadash walked up and kneeled next to her and put his arms around her.

"What can we do Doc? How long does she have?" asked Mr. Crepsley.

"Unless she drinks human blood she'll die by morning, and you said she won't take it. Unless you can somehow get her to take it? I know you can do a way but its deadly."

"I'll do it if it means I die and save her life then so be it." He said walking into the room, "Kadash I need you to take her out."

"Yes sir. Come on Sweetheart everything will be ok." Said Kadash taking her out of the room. 

Mr. Crepsley sat next to me, took my hand in his, then closed his eyes concentrating on my aura, what the doctor was talking about is that Mr. Crepsley can concentrate for so good and hard that he can hop into the ones mind and talk to them, it's risky though Mr. Crepsley has only done this once almost losing himself in the process.

So he concentrated, suddenly he was in my mind. The space in my mind was black the atmosphere was a thunderstorm it was down pouring with lighten and thunder ever few seconds, there was no grass, the ground was dead and hard falling apart in spots and dead flowers, there was a broken guitar in one spot. Mr. Crepsley picked up a flower and it fell apart floating away into a million pieces of dust. So Mr. Crepsley walked around with just the light from the storm lighting his way off and on trying to find me. He walked a bit till he saw a figure up ahead. 

"Nikki!?" he yelled.

"Father?"

"Yeah I'm over here."

I turned around and saw him and ran to him and he ran towards me.

"Daddy I'm scared what's going on, I'm bleeding and won't stop, where am I?" I said running into his arms crying, with him holding me tight. 

I was cut all over my body, my clothes were shredded from head to toe, I was soaked from head to toe, my hair was half black and half Blood red, with one eye that red and the other black.

"Nikki, sweetheart were inside your mind, your locked in here cause the thing is your dying, you'll be dead by morning. The only way we can save you is by drinking human blood. I mean I don't want you my only loving daughter to die on me. I mean I've been trying to find you again for eleven years. I love you so much and I was so glad to have you in the family again. Please drink sweetheart everyone wants you to live, Kadash, Evriana, Mr. Tall, Spinnel Sun, and everyone in the Festival including your family will want you to live." he said starting to cry.

"Kadash and Evriana are there?"

"Yeah their here, hoping you will make the right choice and live for them."

"If it will keep me alive to see everyone as well as my family cause I really wanna see my family then I'll do it I'll drink human blood."

"Thank you." He said kissing the top of my head, then disappearing out of my mind back into the room, he leaned up, wiping the tears from his face with a smile he kissed my forehead and said, "Thank you."

"Hibernius, Kadash, Evriana, come in here." He yelled.

They all came in one after another.

"Hibernius go get a big handful of the blood bottles in my fridge she's gonna need a lot of them to regain conscience."

"You mean she's gonna do it?" he asked.

"Yes, she's doing it for all of us. Now hurry we don't have much time."

Before he could finish, Mr. Tall was back with at least twenty bottle, "This good?"

"Yes it should for now, sit them over here! Alright, Evriana, Kadash, you hold her feet down, Hibernius you help me with her arms, she's really gonna be squirmy cause this is human blood going in her. It's not going to enter her without a side effect."

"YES SIR!!" They all said together and getting into place.

"Ready! Here we go!"

Mr. Crepsley grabbed one bottle with his free hand, pulled the cork out of it and started pouring it down my throat.

Within seconds I started squirming.

The first bottle I had the worst side effects. Mr. Crepsley was only able to hold from my elbow up to my shoulder, which was his mistake, with my one arm it came up to Mr. Crepsley upper arm and lowered face, my arm scratched him sharply across his arm and face causing him to bleed. He growled horribly but continued pouring blood into my mouth until I was calm.

On the fifth bottle my skin started to warm up, and go back to its healthy color. The tenth bottle the struggle from my reaction slowed down but not enough. On the eighteenth bottle my body fell sound asleep and my wounds healed. Mr. Crepsley and the others cleaned up. Evriana and Kadash fell asleep on the couch, while Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Tall talked.

"So how was her mind?" asked Mr. Tall

"It was like nothing I saw or felt before."

"So it was nothing like mine when you saved me from death."

"Yeah yours was like a dream and I couldn't touch anything. In hers I picked up a flower that was dying and it wilted into millions of dust particles. The scenery was pitch black not being able to see anything, not even my hand in my own face. It was a thunderstorm with only the lighten lighting the way, and it was raining I mean me and Nikki were soaked. I could feel Nikki in my arms."

"Wow how was her appearance?"

"It was like nothing I've seen of her. Her hair war half black and half blood red which meant she was in Emo phase and in pain, she had cuts all over her body and they were bleeding, not clotting or anything just constantly bleeding. She could have done it so herself, who knows."

"Wow, she sure has some special powers."

"Yeah I found out she can read minds, and her hair and eyes change with her moods."

"Yeah, I'm glad she'll live I wanna see her grow up into a beautiful woman that I already see in the future."

"Yeah I always say you'd be a great vampire, you're like my oldest daughter, thanks for telling me that she's still alive. I just don't want Nikki to know about her, there's no need for her to know since she left the family a long time before our dear Nikki was born, she grew that year with her brothers."

Mr. Crepsley then got up, picked up Spinnel, put her on the bed to cuddle with me then covered the both of us up.

My pulse slowly regained normal speed, and my skin was back to its normal color.


	27. Chapter 27

About five days later I woke up wondering where the hell I was. I rushed up quickly to find myself in a completely new room. It was a huge room with a big bed which was so big the Spinnel was sleeping in her big form. When I shifted the wrong way the dizziness came in all too fast causing me to fall on the floor with a big loud THUMP!! When that happened, Mr. Crepsley came running in as well as me waking Spinnel up, but she fell back to sleep.

When he came in and saw me on the floor, he kneeled down and said, "Nikki, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but where the hell am I?"

"You're in your new room, in the van that belongs to you, Evriana, and Spinnel. Evriana's room is on your left, your bathroom is on your right her bathroom is on the other side of her room. Out the door I came from is the living room the front door and the kitchen. All we have to do is attach it to a trailer and move it, which you can stay in when were moving it."

When the dizziness was gone I saw his face and arm, "Did I do that," I started crying cause I hurt him.

He held me in his arms and said, "Yeah the time we gave you the human blood."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

"No Nikki, it's ok sweetheart, that's what happens when Half-Vampires don't drink human blood for a long period of time or when there close to death, the good thing is that your alive."

"I'm sorry I should have listened to you."

"No, it's ok that was one of your trail and errors." He said laughing, "I did the same when I was young. Now let's get you up on the bed and check you out." He helped me up on the bed and checked my stomach stitches and said, "Your stitches didn't open that's good. I forgot to tell you this, but you'll have these stitches for the rest of your life. Your stomach will never completely heal. That's why the doctor gave you those pain killers cause it makes you feel as if there not there. You'll just have to be careful with what you do. Your hands look like there fully healed. You look good girl, how's your vision?"

"It's fine now, I can see clearly now."

"How's your hearing?"

"That's fine to."

"Can you walk?"

"I don't know, let's see."

I got off the bed, Mr. Crepsley held my hand, and I started walking. I lost my balance a few times, but I was fine.

"Now that I know you can walk, let's go outside."

"Ok, but is it dark out?"

"No, but we did a lot of work while you were sleeping, so that I can be awake during the day and walk outside when I need to."

"How?" I asked confused and noticing my hair going multi-colored, "It's good to have my hair and eyes change again."

"You'll see and I'm glad your back to normal too." He said laughing.

When we got outside, I looked around and found out that the tents and vans had cloths attached to them, keeping the sun out and away from areas.

"Wow, this is so cool." I said fascinated.

"Yeah it took them all day and night."

"They did a good job."

"Yeah before I forget the festival wants to know if you can play them a song on your guitar and flute?"

"I would love too, when I play the guitar song, I'll sing as well. I'll play four songs three on guitar and the other on flute."

"That sounds good to me!"

"When do I play?"

"Well when ever you are ready."

"Well I'm ready now let me get my guitar, amp and flute."

"You don't have to, cause it's already there for you in the tent."

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go!"

"Here, we'll get there a lot quicker if you hope on my back."

I hoped on his back and we were there in about I minute. When I walked in everyone was sitting and waiting. When the lights dimmed and the spotlight hit me I said with a smile, "Ladies and Gentlemen, good afternoon. I heard everyone was worried about me and I'm sorry, I'm fine now."

Everyone cheered. "I heard you guys wanted me to play something so I'll play four songs. So I hope you'll like them. The first song I'll play is the song I wrote and was what I was playing during the show."

So I magically pulled my flute from my pocket, I took a deep breath and started playing. When I did everyone became quiet. When I stopped everyone stood and applauded, especially Kadash, Evriana, Mr. Tall, and Mr. Crepsley.

"The next song I'll be playing is a song from my favorite movie. I learned the tune and memorized it being able to write the music on my guitar. I will sing and play my guitar for you." Mr. Crepsley got up, grabbed a microphone and placed it in from of me and sat back down.

I started to play my guitar and sang, "Home is behind. The world ahead, And there are many paths to tread. Through shadow. To the edge of night. Until the stars are all a light. Mist and shadow. Cloud and shaded. All shall fade. All shall . . . . Fade."

Again they applauded. When the guitar started again, everyone went quiet again. "Uh huh, life's like this. Uh huh, uh huh, that's the way it is. Cause life's like this. Uh huh, uh huh that's the way it is. Chill out whatcha yelling' for? Lay back it's all been done before. And if you could only let it be you will see I like you the way you are. When we're drivin' in your car and you're talking to me one on one but you've become. Somebody else round everyone else. You're watching your back like you can't relax. You're tryin' to be cool you look like a fool to me. Tell me. Why you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated. Life's like this you. And you fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it no, no, no. You come over unannounced dressed up like you're somethin' else where you are and where it's at you see you're making me laugh out when you strike your pose take off all your preppy clothes you know you're not fooling anyone when you've become. Somebody else round everyone else. Watching your back, like you can't relax. Trying to be cool you look like a fool to me. Tell me. Why you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated. Life's like this you, and. You fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it no, no, no. Chill out whatcha yelling for? Lay back, it's all been done before. And if you could only let it be. You will see.

Somebody else round everyone else. You're watching your back, like you can't relax. You're trying to be cool, you look like a fool to me. Tell me. Why you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated. Life's like this you, and. You fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty promise me. I'm never gonna find you fake it no, no. Why you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like your somebody else gets me frustrated. Life's like this you. You fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty promise me. I'm never gonna find you fake it no, no, no." At the end I started right into the next song, "I walk a lonely road. The only one that I have ever known. Don't know where it goes. But it's home to me and I walk alone. I walk this empty street. On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Where the city sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk alone. I walk alone. I walk alone. I walk alone. I walk a... My shadow's the only one that walks beside me. My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me. 'Til then I walk alone. Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah. I'm walking down the line. That divides me somewhere in my mind. On the border line. Of the edge and where I walk alone. Read between the lines. What's fucked up and everything's alright. Check my vital signs. To know I'm still alive and I walk alone. I walk alone. I walk alone. I walk alone. I walk a... My shadow's the only one that walks beside me. My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me. 'Til then I walk alone. Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah. Ah-ah, Ah-ah. I walk alone. I walk a... I walk this empty street. On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Where the city sleeps. And I'm the only one and I walk a... My shadow's the only one that walks beside me. My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me. 'Til then I walk alone…," it was kinda funny when I said 'Fucked Up' everyone cheered, it was really weird though.

When I was done everyone applauded and stood. I sat down for a big strumming my guitar as I listened to all of the compliments I got from the festival, then went back to mine and Evriana's van. While I was sitting I thought of a good way to design the van, so I got out my sketch book and sketched it out. Since my horoscope element was fire, I sketched flames on my side of the van, and on Evriana's I did water since her birthday was July 9th, 1987, she is a Cancer which is a water element. I then, sketched me on my side and Evriana on her side. I then called Evriana in.

"What is it Nikki?"

"I became bored, what do you think of this for the design of our van?"

"Wow that's awesome!"

"Well if you need me, I'll be outside working on this, ok?"

"Sure thing, Nikki, if you need me just call?"

"kay."

So I headed out with a pastel pen and sketched my design out. When I hit the top of me, I fell backwards away from the van and was lucky, was walking by when she saw me, so she flew up and kept me balanced.

"Thanks Spinnel."

"Don't forget about me, Miss Nikki."

"I won't Spinnel. I'm putting you in the middle."

"Sweet I get the middle," she said then leaving.

I redid the design a little bit, I added a fire necklace on me as well as fire coming out of my one hand, and the opposite on Evriana. I then drew Spinnel's big form on the bottom and her small form above us, which looked very good if I say so myself.

When I finished sketching it, I was handed a glass of lemonade. When I turned around to see who it was, I found out it was Mr. Tall , "Nice work, Miss Nikki, you're a really talented girl."

"Thank you for the drink and thank you for the compliment I was able to draw since I was three."

"Well, your father did tell me that you were a special baby, but I couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. Now I know and I'm sorry that I doubted you, when you were a baby."

"Thanks, I knew I was special when I was four. I could save my energy while running and run even faster. I have fast reflexes at times, I knew every Karate move with out lessons. I can read minds, I'm almost like a ninja when I was in trouble to get away. I play what I hear, I can draw very good at a young age."

"Wow, well keep up the good work." he said walking off whistling to a lovely tune.

I then did the primary colors on the van and it looked semi good. When it dried I did the secondary colors and it looked awesome. All I had to do was put the rest of the colors in and do the outline on everything with a thin black line of paint. When I was totally done everyone was fascinated with it. A few nights when I thought that maybe I should have a weapon just in case I need to fight something or protect myself. Finally it came to me that I can make myself a bow and arrows. So I got Spinnel up and asked her to take me to the woods, we found a good willow tree, so I grabbed a few good branches, then found a really good hickory tree for my arrows and got a full bundle, for my arrows. I looked everywhere to find a very good vine but couldn't so I quit on it. By the time I got home I was rearing to go and start carving.

After I carved them into the shapes I needed I carved little designs into them to make it look like mine no one else's. I then made about six dozen arrows just in case. I even carved designs into them as well, then sat all my pieces into the corrnor of my room.


End file.
